NEW DELHI: Congress leadership with an explanation of its decision to stay away from the consecration ceremony at the Ayodhya Ram Temple. The leadership says that they will only stay away from the program to be held on January 22. The explanation is that they can go to the temple on any other day and the UP component will visit the temple on Makara Sankranti on January 15.

The Congress also reiterated that it was not the party but the individuals who got the invitation. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary rejected the invitation to the function, alleging that the function on January 22 is a BJP-RSS event.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has clarified when he will be visiting the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The Thiruvananthapuram MP said that he will visit Ayodhya after the Lok Sabha elections. Tharoor criticized the Ayodhya ceremony to be held on the 22nd as being politically motivated.

Shashi Tharoor said that BJP is politicizing Ayodhya and people including himself go to the temple to pray.