Congress' soul is Hindu, party leaders should attend Ram temple ceremony if invited: Shiv Sena (UBT)

Mumbai: Underlining that the Congress' 'soul' is Hindu, Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday said leaders of that party should attend the Lord Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya if they have received the special invitation, keeping aside political differences.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party is an ally of Congress in Maha Vikas Aghadi and also a member of the INDIA bloc of opposition parties.

In an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, the Shiv Sena (UBT) took a dig at the BJP, saying the Babri mosque wouldn't have been brought down if the prime minister at that time was from that party.

P V Narasimha Rao was the prime minister when the structure was razed in December 1992.

'If Congress has received any special invitation for the Ram temple consecration ceremony then it (the leaders) should go to Ayodhya. What is wrong with it?' the editorial asked.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi have been invited to the consecration ceremony scheduled to be held on January 22.

The Congress on Friday said it would decide about Kharge and Sonia Gandhi attending the event at an 'appropriate time'. Congress' leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has also been invited.

'The Congress' soul is Hindu. There is nothing to hide in it,' the edit said.

It is wrong to say that the BJP is the beholder of Hindutva as claimed by that party. The Congress has equally contributed to the growth of Hindu culture, it added.

'The Congress never opposed the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was of the opinion that Ram temple should be constructed in Ayodhya. It was on the instructions of Rajiv Gandhi that the famous serial Ramayan was telecast on Doordarshan,' the edit said.