Ram temple bhoomi pujan | A violation of Constitution, says Sitaram Yechury

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury. File

Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Wednesday that the ceremony to lay the foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a violation of the Constitution in letter and spirit.

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Mr. Yechury said the event, which was “televised globally by the national broadcaster Doordarshan,” had confirmed the issues raised by the CPI(M) Polit Bureau on Tuesday.

“The state takeover of the construction of the temple in the presence of the Governor and the CM [Chief Minister] of U.P. [Uttar Pradesh] is a negation of the secular democratic character of the Indian Republic. It is also a violation of the Supreme Court verdict that directed the temple construction to be undertaken by a Trust,” he said in a series of tweets.

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He said the event gave “retrospective legitimisation for the destruction of the Babri Masjid.” The Supreme Court had termed the demolition of the Babri Masjid at the site an “egregious violation of law” and had called for punishment of those involved.

“The construction has begun before any such punishment. This ‘bhumi puja’ function is a naked exploitation of people’s religious sentiments for partisan, political purposes and brazenly violates the letter and spirit of the Constitution,” he said.

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He also said the event was in violation of the public health protocols of the Union Health Ministry during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the ban on religious gatherings.

CPI general secretary D. Raja said: “Today’s ceremony and the participation of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief has confirmed that the RSS runs the government. Also the Prime Minister and U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s presence makes one religion the defacto religion of our country, putting the secular democratic nature of our Republic in danger.”