Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 15 : Telangana BJP President N Ramchander Rao criticised remarks made by former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the inauguration of the Ram Temple, accusing the Congress party of practising "vote bank politics" in the name of secularism.
Speaking to ANI here, Rao said that PM Modi attended the Prana Pratistha ceremony at the Ram Mandir in his official capacity and did not perform any religious rituals.
"PM Modi only attended the Prana Pratistha at Ram Temple as the Prime Minister. He never performed any Pooja there," Rao said.
The BJP leader further alleged that the Congress party uses the concept of secularism selectively for political gains. "Actually, it is the Congress party that uses the word secular only for their vote bank politics," he added.
Rao also accused Congress leaders of harbouring personal animosity toward the Prime Minister and claimed that their criticism had crossed political boundaries. "All the Congress leaders are seeing PM Modi as an enemy. Because of this animosity towards PM Modi, which is a personal and not political animosity, they are even becoming anti-India," he said.
His remarks came after Mani Shankar Aiyar criticised the BJP and questioned the Prime Minister's presence at the Ram Temple inauguration during an event at Kanodia College in Jaipur.
During the event, Aiyar said that the head of government should maintain religious neutrality and argued that the Prime Minister attending the ceremony raised questions about secularism.
"Our Prime Minister is personally inaugurating the Ram Temple, leaving all the Shankaracharyas aside. Is this secular? The Prime Minister of India should not have any religion," Aiyar said.