Rahul Stopped at Assam Temple, TMC's All-Faith Rally: What Opposition Was Up To

Here's what Opposition leaders did on the day the Ram Temple was inaugurated in Ayodhya.

Rahul in Assam Monastery, Mamata's All-Faith Rally: What Oppn Leaders Did.

(Photo: PTI)

As the Pran Pratishtha ceremony to mark the inauguration of the Ram temple took place on Monday, 22 January, scores of politicians affiliated to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and others attended the event in Ayodhya.

Other than BJP leaders, Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) leader Chandrababu Naidu and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda also marked their presence at the event.

However, all leaders of the Opposition's INDIA bloc have skipped the event.

While Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is on the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (BJNY), West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee led an all-faith rally.

Here's what Opposition leaders did on the day the Ram Temple was inaugurated.

Rahul Gandhi Stopped from Visiting Batadrava Than

As a part of his ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, along with several other party leaders accompanying him, was scheduled to be at the Batadrava Than temple in Assam's Nagaon district.

Gandhi, however, was not allowed to enter the temple, following which he staged a protest outside the premises.

The monastery is believed to be the birthplace of Vaishnavite saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardeva.

The monastery committee had requested Gandhi not to come citing the visit of over 10,000 devotees today on the occasion of the Pran Pratishtha in Ayodhya.

Mamata Banerjee's Sadbhavna Yatra

After visiting the Kalighat temple in Kolkata, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led a Sanhati rally (all-faith rally), during which she also visited churches and mosques. Religious leaders of several faiths were present in the rally.

Mamata Banerjee with religious leaders and other dignitaries at the Sarva Dharma rally in Kolkata on Monday, 22 January. 

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)

Further, she addressed a gathering at the Park Circus maidan in central Kolkata.

Uddhav Thackeray's 'Maha Aarti' at Kalaram Temple

Former Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray performed a puja at the Kalaram temple in Nashik, which PM Modi had also visited last week as a part of his 11-day yatra.

Thackeray also paid tribute to Hindutva icon VD Savarkar in Nashik.

With his party openly supporting the movement for years, not attending the ceremony came as a crucial political decision at a time when his 'Hindutva identity' is being questioned by his opponents.

Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh Yadav Kept a Low Profile

Several other INDIA bloc leaders like Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, Aam Addmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, and Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar, kept a low profile.

Earlier on Monday, Yadav took part in an event to pay tribute to socialist leader Janeshwar Mishra on the latter's death anniversary at Janeshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow.

On the other hand, Kejriwal and the AAP marked the day by participating in 'shobha yatras' and 'bhandaras' in different parts of Delhi.

The AAP had organised recitations of the 'Sundar Kand', a chapter of Valmiki's Ramayana, last week.