Congress says it will decide at the appropriate time on Sonia Gandhi attending the Ram Mandir consecration

Amidst reports that Sonia Gandhi, the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, might attend the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, the Congress stated on Friday that a decision will be made and communicated at an appropriate time.

In addition to Ms Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the party's leader in the Lok Sabha, have also received invitations to the Ram Mandir inauguration.

"Chairman of the Congress Parliamentary Party Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge have been invited to the inauguration of the Ram Temple. A decision will be made at the appropriate time and conveyed accordingly," said Jairam Ramesh, the party's communication chief.

Ramesh distanced the party from the remarks made by senior leader Sam Pitroda, who questioned whether the Ram Mandir was the real issue or if unemployment was more critical.

"Sam Pitroda's statement is not an official statement of the Congress. He does not speak on behalf of the Congress party," clarified Mr. Ramesh.

The handling of the invitation for the consecration of the Ram Temple has become politically sensitive and was discussed at the highest level. Sources revealed that after receiving their invitations, Ms Gandhi and Mr Kharge participated in a meeting of top leaders to determine the party's stance.

Apart from Mr Kharge and Ms Gandhi, other senior leaders consulted included P. Chidambaram, Ambika Soni, K.C. Venugopal, Mr Ramesh, Digvijaya Singh, and Randeep Surjewala.

Either she will go or our delegation will attend," Mr Singh stated earlier in response to a news agency.

However, it is noted that Congress leaders may not be able to delegate someone else to attend in their place, as the invitation is reportedly non-transferable.

कांग्रेस का कहना है कि वह सोनिया गांधी के राम मंदिर प्रतिष्ठा समारोह में शामिल होने पर उचित समय पर फैसला करेगी