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Tag: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

  • Congress Leaders’ Decision to Skip Ayodhya Temple Event

    Congress Leaders’ Decision to Skip Ayodhya Temple Event

    The political landscape in India is once again ablaze with controversy as senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, declined an invitation to attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and skip the event on January 22. The ceremony, known as Pran Pratistha, marks a significant event in the construction and establishment of the Ram Mandir, a long-standing religious and political issue in the country.

     

    West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee had earlier criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the inauguration of the Ram Mandir was a political gimmick ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. While the BJP dismissed these claims, the decision of Congress leaders to skip the event has ignited a fresh round of political sparring.

     

    Union Minister and BJP leader Hardeep Singh Puri responded to the Congress leaders’ decision, stating that they are stuck in their rhetoric and will regret not attending the ceremony. He dismissed their stance, emphasizing that the Ram Mandir’s construction has been a result of a 500-year-long agitation, hence the decision to skip it.

     

    Union Minister Smriti Irani joined the criticism, asserting that the Congress party’s anti-Lord Ram face is evident before the nation. She highlighted the Congress’s historical denial of Lord Ram’s existence, pointing out that the party had filed an affidavit in court claiming Lord Ram to be a fictional character.

     

    The BJP’s national spokesperson, Nalin Kohli, echoed these sentiments, stating that the Congress’s decision aligns with its longstanding position on the Ayodhya issue. He recalled the Congress-UPA government filing an affidavit denying Lord Ram’s existence and emphasized that the Congress party did not actively support the construction of the Ram Mandir.

     

    While the Congress leaders cited the BJP and RSS’s involvement in the temple as a political project for their decision, BJP national secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa condemned the Congress’s attempt to portray the event as a BJP function. He asserted that Congress’s denial to attend the ceremony is their party’s stand, but blaming it on the BJP is unacceptable.

     

    Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh explained the party’s position, stating that the BJP and RSS had turned the construction of the Ram Temple into a political project. He accused them of bringing forward the inauguration for electoral gains and highlighted the Congress leaders’ respect for the 2019 Supreme Court judgment while declining the invitation to what they view as an RSS/BJP event.

     

    This political tussle comes as the Ram temple in Ayodhya is set to be inaugurated on January 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and thousands of attendees expected at the Pran Pratistha ceremony. The event holds immense cultural and religious significance for millions of Indians, especially those who revere Lord Ram.

     

    The decision of Congress leaders not to attend the ceremony underscores the deep-rooted political divisions surrounding the Ayodhya issue. It reflects the party’s historical approach to the matter, characterized by legal disputes, court battles, and a perceived reluctance to actively support the construction of the Ram Mandir. The BJP, on the other hand, sees the temple as a symbol of cultural and national pride, and the ongoing events leading up to the inauguration continue to be a focal point of political discourse in India.

  • Bengal Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Opposes

    Bengal Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Opposes

    Bengal Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has once again voiced his opposition to an alliance with the Trinamool Congress in the state, sparking internal divisions within the party. While senior Congress leaders believe in the advantages of collaborating with the Trinamool to consolidate anti-BJP votes, a faction, including Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, advocates for a tie-up with the Left, despite their zero representation in the state assembly following the 2021 elections.

     

    Chowdhury denied knowledge of anyone “begging” for an alliance with the Trinamool, stating, “Who was begging we don’t know. We are not beggars.” He emphasized that the Congress can independently contest elections without relying on the Trinamool’s support.

     

    Accusing Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee of hindering the alliance, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asserted, “If there is no alliance, who will be most happy today in Hindustan? If there is no alliance, PM Modi will be most happy. What Mamata Banerjee is doing is serving Modiji.”

     

    Last week, Chowdhury had already accused Mamata Banerjee of obstructing the alliance in Bengal, suggesting that she fears facing challenges if the alliance materializes. Despite the ongoing tensions, he reiterated that the Congress has the capability to fight elections independently in Bengal.

     

    The Trinamool, on the other hand, is growing impatient with the Congress’s reluctance to engage in seat-sharing talks, having ignored the given deadline. Mamata Banerjee has clarified that her party is not interested in conceding six seats to the Congress in Bengal. It is reported that the Congress is considering contesting in at least six seats, including Malda, Murshidabad, and the Raiganj seat.

     

    “INDIA alliance will be present in entire India, and in Bengal, the Trinamool Congress will fight. In Bengal, it is only the Trinamool Congress that can teach the BJP a lesson. It can show the entire country the path to victory, not any other party,” Mamata Banerjee declared.

     

    The internal strife within the Bengal Congress has led to a clear difference in stance between the state and Delhi Congress. While leaders like Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi are eager to cooperate with the Trinamool Congress for a robust INDIA alliance, the state Congress in Bengal, according to Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, is acting as BJP agents.

     

    “There is a clear difference between Bengal Congress’s stand and Delhi Congress stand. In Delhi Congress, Soniaji, Rahulji, they are eager to take cooperation from Trinamool Congress to make a solid INDIA alliance. But in Bengal, the state Congress, they are playing a role of BJP agents because in 2021, it was Trinamool which fought the battle and defeated BJP,” Ghosh remarked.

     

    As the rift intensifies, West Bengal witnesses an all-out war within the Congress, with conflicting opinions on whether to ally with the Trinamool or pursue other political strategies in the upcoming elections.

  • Shehzad Poonawalla Highlights Differences in Opposition’s Stance

    Shehzad Poonawalla Highlights Differences in Opposition’s Stance

    Shehzad Poonawalla, the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), took to social media to draw attention to the differences in opinion within the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), the opposition bloc, regarding the G20 Summit. Poonawalla’s comments shed light on varying statements made by key opposition figures.

     

    Priyanka Gandhi, a senior leader of the Congress party, referred to the G20 Summit as “Inke G20” during a recent statement. She expressed concern about waterlogging at the G20 Summit Bharat Mandapam in Delhi. Poonawalla responded to this by stating, “Priyanka Vadra & her party are entitled to be bitter & crib, but look at what Priyanka ji says ‘INKA G20’ – Are such programs ‘inka’ ‘unka’ or ‘Bharat Ka’? This is the mindset problem of a family that has always believed – ‘Jo Desh Ka woh inke parivar ka’… she is only manifesting that!”

     

    Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a senior Congress leader, questioned the decision of Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo, to attend a dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu on the occasion of the G20 meet in New Delhi. He raised concerns about whether her participation would weaken her stance against the Narendra Modi government. The TMC responded by stating that Banerjee is one of the key figures behind the non-BJP bloc INDIA and suggested that Chowdhury did not need to lecture her about administrative protocols.

     

    Shashi Tharoor, a Congress Member of Parliament, praised the New Delhi Declaration of the G20 members. He described it as a “diplomatic triumph for India” and noted that the widespread expectation was that there might be no agreement until the G20 summit was convened. Tharoor stated, “The Delhi Declaration is undoubtedly a diplomatic triumph for India. It’s a good achievement because right until the G20 summit was being convened, the widespread expectation was there would be no agreement and, that, therefore, a joint communique might not be possible, and, that we might have to end up with a chairman’s summary.”

     

    Shehzad Poonawalla’s observations on these contrasting statements highlight the differences in opinion and approach within the opposition bloc INDIA regarding the G20 Summit.