Participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in the bhoomi pujan ceremony for the Ram temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday gives de-facto official religion status to one particular religion, CPI general secretary D. Raja said in a statement here.
“The Constitution makes it clear that Indian state is a secular state and India is a democratic republic. Indian state must be neutral to all faiths and religions. It should be above all faith and religions. But on August 5, what the country witnessed was a different spectacle,” he said.
The participation of the Prime Minister was in violation of the secular principles enshrined in the Constitution. “The RSS and the Sangh Parivar consider that the foundation of Hindu rashtra has been laid. But they claim it in the name of Ram ‘Raj’,” Mr. Raja added. And this ceremony, he said, would have long-term implications on the foundational principles of the Republic of India and its future.
“The RSS and the Sangh Parivar are taking every step consciously to indoctrinate and intimidate the people who express their dissent and question the policies of the government creating an illusion about a new India,” Mr. Raja said. He said that in the new India which they wanted to create, the working people, Dalits, Adivasis and the poor would not have a voice. “They will be treated as just subjects to be ruled. The activists and political parties will be subjected to repression and their voices will be strangulated,” Mr. Raja added.
