The Chief Minister Siddaramaiah unveiled a local Ram temple in Mahadevapura district in Karnataka on Monday when the Ram idol was unveiled in Ayodhya by PM Narendra Modi. The CM inaugurated statues of Lord Ram, Sita, Lakshman, and Hanuman. The CM chanted Jai Shree Ram and made the crowd say it aloud. “This slogan isn’t someone’s property,” he added during the temple statues unveiling ceremony in Karnataka. On the occasion, CM Siddaramaiah criticized the BJP. He sparked controversy by saying, “We worship Mahatma Gandhi’s Ram, not BJP’s Ram. The saffron party is attempting to separate Lord Ram from Seeta and Lakshman. Without Lakshman and Sita, there is no Rama. Lord Ram is everywhere, not only in Ayodhya.”
The BJP hit back at Siddaramaiah for being anti-Hindu and for quoting such a statement. The saffron party lashed out at Siddaramaiah for not declaring a public holiday on Monday, the day when the Lord Rama idol was inaugurated in Ayodhya. The Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is neither a devotee of Rama nor a follower of Gandhiji. They are followers of power, devotees of the high command that gives power. I feel sorry for Siddaramaiah's situation. You have said that you are devotees of Rama as mentioned by Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi was the biggest proponent of the cow slaughter ban. But they are in favor of cow slaughter. Gandhiji said to dissolve the Congress party after independence. But you have made the Congress party a family affair. Is this their Gandhi? Asked Ashok. He said that even so, the name of Lord Ram is coming out of their mouths. Whether it is to show off, to be liked by people, or to be an embracement to society, you also went to the temple on Monday.
He said that Congress did not fulfill even half of the promises made to the people in their first term, on top of that another lie of the government. Now what are they doing in the second term? Over this CM Siddaramaiah clarified and said, “I have Ram in my name. I am Siddaramaiah. In my village, I funded the construction of a Ram temple. Everyone including Gandhiji spoke of Ram Rajya. That is why the Constitution speaks of co-existence. We must live with humanity,” he added. Speaking about declining the invitation for the grand 'pran pratishtha' ceremony, Siddaramiah said, "BJP is trying to portray that we are against Lord Ram, which is not correct. The saffron party is doing this for politics." Here, JD(S) Supremo HD Deve Gowda, his son and former CM HD Kumaraswamy, and grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy presented at the consecration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Monday.