Congress's decision to not attend Ram temple consecration ceremony has put party leaders in spot: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Bhopal: BJP veteran Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday claimed the 'wrong' decision of Congress to not attend the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya has put party leaders in a spot as they cannot give convincing reply to the common people.

Chouhan was speaking at a gathering in Vidisha wherein several workers of Congress joined the BJP.

"After Congress refused to participate in the consecration ceremony, several friends from the opposition party told me that they are finding it hard to give a reply to people. Such wrong decisions can't give the right direction to the country," said Chouhan, the BJP candidate from the Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency.

The former chief minister said his father was in Congress, but the party has undergone a sea change from the old days.

"There was only Congress at that time. But today's Congress is not that one. This is not the Congress of Mahatma Gandhi or even that of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi," Chouhan said.

The BJP veteran said the Congress disrespected the sentiments of people by not attending the Ram temple consecration ceremony.

"The temple came up in Ayodhya after the orders of the (supreme) court. The Congress too was invited for the consecration ceremony. should Congress go there or not? Who is making these decisions in that party and with what intention? They were invited with dignity but they refused.. they are disrespecting people's sentiments," he added.

In a dig, Chouhan wondered who is the advisor of the Congress.

Former Union minister Suresh Pachouri, who joined the BJP early this month, also addressed the gathering.

A BJP spokesman claimed that about 1,500 workers of Congress joined the saffron party on the occasion. Ex-Congress MLA from Vidisha, Shashank Bhargava, has joined the BJP about a week back.