New Delhi, April 26 : Former Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh and senior Congress leader T.S. Singh Deo, in an exclusive interview with IANS, expressed his views on a range of issues in a candid manner.

He also responded to the BJP's criticism of the Congress for not attending the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony. The senior Congress leader described the Ram Lalla 'pran pratishtha' programme as an event 'sponsored' by the BJP. He also said that the entire focus of the programme was on Prime Minister Narendra Modi only.

On the question of Congress rejecting the invitation for the ceremony, Singh Deo said that whenever there is a discussion on religion and Lord Ram, people are going to the extent of terming PM Modi the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

'What is this happening? This is too much,' said the former Deputy CM.

In this context, he also attacked Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, saying the BJP has given a ticket to the film actress (Kangana) from Mandi, and whenever she starts her speech, she calls PM Modi an incarnation of Vishnu and sometimes an incarnation of Lord Ram and Shiva.

Her election campaign starts with these refrains, he said, smiling sarcastically.

"What is happening in the country these days?"

In reply to another query, Singh Deo claimed that the Ram Temple was not inaugurated at an auspicious time. Similarly, the consecration ceremony was organised in an incomplete temple, he added.

This cannot happen even according to Sanatan Dharma and its scriptures, he remarked.

'Well, you organised a big event and whom did you invite? The new Parliament building was not inaugurated by the country's President, Droupadi Murmu. In the same way, they did not invite her for the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya which was an insult to Ram Lalla as well," Singh Deo said.

This was the only event in which everyone saw that 90 per cent of the camera focus was on PM Modi, he added.

"If we were doing this work inspired by the spirit of Lord Ram, the camera should have been on the idol of Ram Lalla. The camera focus on those attending the programme, be it PM Modi or CM Yogi Adityanath or some Mahant, could have been for a shorter period," he said.

The Congress leader also alleged that the BJP made the consecration of Ram Lalla a political event and insulted Ram ji by not inviting other people to the programme.

Singh Deo said, 'I saw the photo of Ram Lalla before the inauguration of the temple. I was very sad to see images of PM Modi walking holding the hand of Lord Ram being circulated among the people.'

'But there is no reaction from them, everyone maintained silence. How pathetic that he is carrying Lord Ram. Perhaps I am saying all this for the first time regarding the inauguration of Ram Mandir but I felt very pained to see these,' said Sigh Deo.

"At the time of my father's birth, Maharaj Ramanuj Sharan Singh Dev of Surguja had built a temple of Lord Ram and my parents had dedicated it to Baba Ji," he said.

'Even today, the tradition is that Baba Ji and his two followers take care of that temple. Not only this, on the day of Ram Navami, only a family member is called and then the door is opened,' he said.

But, what happened in Ayodhya was a sponsored programme, in which everything was done to promote one individual and one party, Singh Deo alleged.

/IANS