Sonia welcomed President's remarks on Ram Temple: Cong MP

A senior Congress functionary on Wednesday said the party's members of Parliament, including Sonia Gandhi, thumped their desks in welcome when President Droupadi Murmu mentioned the Ram temple in her address to the joint sitting of Parliament.

This, even as many opposition MPs, including from the Congress, also picked holes in her address, as the Congress sought to deal with the BJP offensive on the party for keeping away from the Ram temple consecration event at Ayodhya.

After the President's address, MP and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Rajeev Shukla, who is known to be close to the Nehru-Gandhi family, told media persons, "When the President mentioned Ram temple, we thumped the desk, Sonia ji also thumped the desk and welcomed it. The Congress always supported the construction of Ram temple. The CWC had passed a resolution saying we wanted a 'bhavya (glorious) Ram mandir'. Only due to the manner in which that day's (January 22) programme was organised politically, we didn't attend it."


Leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the President's address was part of the Modi government's propaganda. "The President's speech was only about praising PM Modi and their government. It was a propaganda, advertisement for PM Modi and a political speech... There was nothing related to employment mentioned in the President's speech... This was a document to entrap the poor," he said.

Congress MP Shakti Singh Gohil said, "Ten years ago the PM made several promises but nothing was fulfilled... When they are not getting a vote based on work, they are using the name of Lord Ram to get a vote".