The political slugfest over the Ram Mandir issue intensified on Wednesday with Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh and BJP state president Rajeev Bindal launching fresh attacks on each other over who is a “true Sanatani”, Himachali identity and the Congress’ ideological stand.
Responding to Bindal’s criticism of Congress leaders’ visit to the Ram Temple in Shimla, Vikramaditya said the BJP leader had himself admitted to living in Himachal for only 35 years. “I respect him as my senior and BJP president, but he should refrain from making such objectionable statements. He is nobody to issue certificates on who is a true Sanatani,” the minister said.
A day earlier, Vikramaditya had accused Bindal of questioning the faith of Congress leaders after he termed their temple visit a “political drama”. The minister asserted that his family had lived in Himachal for 122 generations and had always followed Sanatan Dharma and worshipped Lord Ram. “The Congress does not need a certificate from Bindal, who is not even a bona fide Himachali and lived in Haryana earlier,” he had said.
Vikramaditya also rejected BJP leader and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur’s allegation that the Congress was anti-Hindu. He said anyone was free to visit a temple without seeking the BJP’s approval and reiterated the Congress demand for a fair and impartial probe into the alleged Ram Temple fund scam.
Hitting back, Bindal said he had been serving the people of Himachal for the past 35 years and did not require any certificate from Vikramaditya. He accused the Congress of opposing the construction of the Ram Temple for politics of appeasement and said the party’s anti-Hindu stance was well known.
Bindal also cited the Congress’ poor performance in the recent urban local body and panchayat elections and questioned why the government had failed to fulfil its 2022 Assembly poll guarantees after more than three years in office. The exchange has further intensified the political confrontation between the ruling Congress and the BJP over the Ram Mandir issue.