Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday claimed that the Prime Minister and the RSS have captured the consecration of the Ram temple and turned it into an election function and therefore it is very difficult for the Congress leaders to attend the ceremony. He also said that the Congress is open to all religions and that anybody from the party is free to attend the function if they wish.

The Ram Mandir at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh is set to be inaugurated on 22 January in an elaborate ceremony for which the rituals have already begun. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of the Congress Party in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary were invited to the function but they had declined citing that the BJP and RSS have made the inauguration of the incomplete temple a “political project”.

In reply to being labelled anti-Hindu, Gandhi said that he does not wear his religion on his shirt. He stated that those who truly believe in religion have a personal relationship with it and practices in in their lives, meanwhile those who have public relations with religion, try to take advantage of religion.

“I don’t try to take advantage of my religion, I try to live my life on the principles of my religion. That’s why I respect people, don’t speak arrogantly, don’t spread hatred. This is Hinduism for me,” Rahul Gandhi stated.

Gandhi was speaking to the media at Chiephobozou, Kohima district where the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra stopped for lunch. The yatra entered Nagaland on the Monday evening and went through Kohima Town on Tuesday.

The yatra is halting at Chukitong in Wokha District for the night. On 17th Jan, it will proceed to Zunheboto district and Mokokchung districts.