Amid criticisms over its silence on the Ram temple 'bhoomi pujan' (groundbreaking ceremony) in Ayodhya, the TMC on Thursday said Lord Ram belonged to everyone, and the BJP doesn't have a copyright over the deity.
The saffron party had recently alleged that the ruling party in Bengal "always maintains a studied silence" when it came to matters of national and social interests.
State BJP president Dilip Ghosh had asked the TMC to clear its stand on Ayodhya's 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony. Rebuffing the allegation, senior TMC leader and Lok Sabha MP Sougata Roy said his party need not comment anything on the matter, as the construction of the temple was being undertaken in accordance with the orders of the Supreme Court.
"Lord Ram belongs to everybody. The BJP doesn't have a copyright over the deity. The saffron party should stop communalising Lord Ram," Roy told PTI.
He, however, insisted that the timing of the ceremony wasn't right, given the surge in COVID-19 cases everywhere.
"The construction of the Ram temple is being undertaken as per the orders of Supreme Court. So, the question whether we support it or not does not arise. As the pandemic has the country is its grips, and the economy is suffering a slowdown, we feel that the timing was not right,"the Lok Sabha MP from Dum Dum said.
According to TMC sources, the party is walking a tightrope on this "sensitive issue", and any comment might be blown out of context by the BJP and the opposition parties. On Wednesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had appealed for unity and brotherhood among communities.
Her appeal came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the rituals for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
Saffron activists had on Wednesday fought pitched battles with the police over celebrations marking the temple's groundbreaking ceremony in the midst of the total lockdown across the state.
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