A major political controversy has erupted in Kerala after a Congress leader from Alappuzha district launched a fund collection for the construction of the Lord Ram temple at Ayodhya.
According to the reports, Raghunathan Pillai, vice president of the Alappuzha District Congress Committee recently inaugurated the Ram temple fund collection drive at Kadavil Temple in Alappuzha.
The Congress leader also handed over an amount to the head priest of Kadavil Sree Mahalakshmi Temple in Pallipuram. The fund collection for Sri Ram temple construction began on January 30 and will go on till February 28.
However, his participation in the fund collection drive has now created a political storm after Communists in the state alleged that Congress party do not have right to speak about secularism after participating in the Ram Mandir donation rally.
CPI attacks Congress, question their ‘secularism’
CPM state secretary A Vijayaraghavan claimed that the Congress and the RSS-BJP have always worked together like Siamese twins in Kerala and said it was no surprise for the political workers of Kerala. Several Congress leaders have been doing the same always, and Congress does not have any right to speak about secularism after doing this, he added.
Reacting to the controversy, Pillai said that internal rivalry within the Congress party resulted in such controversy and added that he had inaugurated the programme as president of the Pallipuram Pattarya Samajam.
Defending Pillai, KPCC general secretary AA Shukoor said, “Pillai is a true believer, and he had inaugurated the function as president of the Samajam, and there is no need to rake up controversy on this. Raghunathan Pillai is a highly secular person and has always opposed the RSS. The controversy is unnecessary.”