The Bharatiya Janata Party launched a fierce counter-offensive against Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad on Wednesday after the lawmaker declared he would never step foot inside the Ayodhya Ram Mandir.
Azad had openly challenged Lord Ram's treatment of Goddess Sita, triggering an immediate political storm across national battlegrounds. The reaction was blistering.
Speaking in New Delhi, the Trinamool Congress lawmaker mounted a sharp critique of the religious focus centered exclusively on the Ayodhya temple, citing the wider pantheon of Hindu faith.
"Is Lord Ram the only God among the 3,200 crore deities in our country? I will never go there because Lord Ram abandoned his wife, even after she had passed the Agni Pariksha and sent Maa Sita away from his home," Azad said.
Azad rooted his objection in regional reverence, asserting that his cultural allegiance lies directly with Mithila, the revered birthplace of Goddess Sita.
Why should I go? I belong to the birthplace of Maa Sita. She was the daughter of Mithila. Maa Sita is my mother. For every person belonging to Mithila, Maa Sita is a mother.
Kirti Azad, Trinamool Congress MP
The lawmaker also questioned the traditional title of "Maryada Purushottam" attributed to Lord Ram and stressed his devotion to Maa Kali. He pointed to his regular pilgrimages to major shrines across India, including Kamakhya, Dakshina Kali, Kalighat, and the Kali Temple at Gol Market in New Delhi, asking pointedly whether those choices diminished his Hindu identity.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari struck back hard on Wednesday, accusing the Trinamool Congress and the broader opposition bloc of peddling "peak vote bank politics" through calculated religious insults.
Bhandari broadened his offensive to encompass top leaders of the opposition INDIA alliance, alleging coordinated disrespect toward Hindu traditions.
"Congress-led opposition hates Sanatan! TMC MP insults Prabhu Shree Ram! By asking their leaders to continue to slander Sanatan, Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, and Akhilesh Yadav are practicing 'peak vote bank politics'," Bhandari said in a public statement.
Himself invoking electoral retribution, the BJP spokesperson warned that voters would punish the opposition alliance in the upcoming 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, drawing a direct parallel to regional political contests.
"Babar Premis will be punished by people of Uttar Pradesh just like Bengal," Bhandari declared.
| Political Parameter | Official Status |
|---|---|
| Core Controversy | Refusal by TMC MP Kirti Azad to visit Ayodhya Ram Mandir |
| Aggrieved Party | Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) |
| Allegations Framed | "Peak vote bank politics" and insults to Sanatan |
| Named Opposition Figures | Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav |
| Key Milestone in Context | 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections |
The dispute erupts as Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav prepares for a scheduled visit to the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya this December, setting up an intense political contest across Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 assembly polls.