Ram Lalla, Ayodhya: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on the Pran Pratishtha day, slammed PM Narendra Modi by stating, ‘Today, Only One Person Can Visit Temple’. His reaction came after he was being denied entry at Bordowa Satra before 3 pm. He was allowed to enter temple on after the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Temple.
Guwahati: Reacting to being denied entry at the Batadrava Than before 3 pm, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that ‘today, only one person can visit the temple.’ Bordowa Satra is a revered Vaishnavite monastery in Nagaon district where the Congress leader wanted to visit on the day of Pran Pratishtha at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. He was denied entry at Bordowa Satra as the Satra management on Sunday “barred his entry” on its premises before 3pm.
#WATCH | On being allowed to enter Batadrava Than in Assam only after 3 pm, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says “Aaj sirf ek vyakti mandir mein ja sakta hain…” pic.twitter.com/9pz1d6iiuv
— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2024
The management barred Gandhi’s entry citing huge influx of devotees who are likely to emerge to offer prayers to coincide with the Ram Lalla consecration event in Ayodhya.
“January 22 is the Pranpratishtha of Ram Temple and many devotees will come to the Than. Apart from this, many programs have been organized outside the Than premises where thousands of devotees will gather. For that reason, Rahul Gandhi’s visit program will be after 3 pm and it has been decided in the meeting,” the committee said.
Reacting to the temple management’s announcement, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh slammed the state government by stating that the decision had been taken after receiving pressure from the state government
“…Rahul Gandhi wanted to go there (Batadrava Than)…We had been trying since 11th January, two of our MLAs met the Management for the same. We said that we would come there at 7 am on 22nd January,” he said.
Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma urged the congress leader to not “create competition” between the Ram Temple and Bordowa Satra (Batadrava Than) which is located in the birthplace of Srimanta Sankardeva, the 15th-16th century neo-Vaishnavite scholar, saint, and social reformer Srimanta Sankardeva.
Rahul Gandhi along with other party leaders and supporters, sat on a road in protest after he was not allowed to visit the temple.
The Congress MP also took a potshot at authorities for stopping him from visiting the temple in Nagaon, questioning whether PM Modi will now decide who gets to visit a temple.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the holy rituals during the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony. A team of priests led by Lakshmikant Dixit led the main rituals.