Congress has always towed the soft Hindutva line: Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 6 Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday took pot shots on the Congress over its stand on the Bhumi Pujan ceremony in Ayodhya to start construction of the Ram temple.

Vijayan said the statement of party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, welcoming the event, is the least surprising as top Congress leaders, including Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi and P.V. Narashima Rao had a similar stand.

"If they had taken a proper stand on real secularism, then things would have been different for the country. The Congress has always towed the soft Hindutva line. Just look at Ayodhya, the Congress has done everything and even when the Babri Masjid was demolished, Rao remained silent. It's best not to speak of such things now," he said.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the Bhumi Pujan for Ram temple in Ayodhya, laying its first brick.

Priyanka Gandhi, in her statement, said that "this programme with blessings of Lord Ram and his teachings should become a symbol of national unity, brotherhood and cultural amalgamation".

( With inputs from IANS )