Kiren Rijiju says Congress, SP are anti‑Lord Ram over donation protest

The Story in Brief

Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Communist Party of India (CPI) of being “anti-Lord Ram”, saying they had opposed the construction of the Ayodhya Ram Temple and had worn black bands during its building. His remarks came as Opposition MPs, led by Rahul Gandhi, continued protests in Parliament over the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple, police action against student protesters on July 20 and other issues; these protests led to repeated disruptions in the Lok Sabha.

Rijiju demanded an apology from the Opposition for what he described as an insult to Lord Ram. Later he held a nearly 50-minute meeting with Rahul Gandhi in Parliament attended by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Gaurav Gogoi and KC Venugopal to try to break the deadlock. They discussed the proposed Delimitation Bill and possible reintroduction of the Delimitation and Women’s Reservation Bills; Congress did not commit support. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav intensified criticism of the BJP over the alleged donation theft, saying junior employees had been arrested while influential people were being protected. Speaker Om Birla appealed to MPs to allow Question Hour.

The Indian Opinion

The story centres on strong, emotive accusations framed in religious terms and on parliamentary disruption. Labels such as “anti-Lord Ram” and statements demanding apologies personalise political disagreement and can escalate tensions; a neutral reader should note these are political charges rather than judicial findings. Opposition protests raise substantive claims about alleged theft and police action, but the article does not present findings from an independent inquiry. Similarly, assertions that influential people are being protected are allegations that require evidence. The meeting between Rijiju and Rahul Gandhi shows a procedural effort to resolve the impasse, yet the government and Opposition remain apart on key conditions, so outcomes remain uncertain.

Original article: ‘Opposition is anti-Lord Ram’: Kiren Rijiju attacks Congress, SP over Ram Temple donation row protest (www.hindustantimes.com)

This story was summarised and commented on by AI from the source linked above.