'Cong confused over attending mandir event'

In’24 polls, BJP will focus on welfare works carried out by Modi govt, says Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi

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AS THE Narendra Modi government is gearing up to inaugurate Ram Mandir at Ayodhya on January 22, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coals & Mines, Pralhad Joshi, speaks to Ashwini M Sripad about the Congress take on the temple inauguration. He also speaks about suspension of MPs during the recently concluded winter session of Parliament and also the BJP’s prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Sixty-one-year-old Joshi, who represents Dharwad constituency in the Lok Sabha, also spoke about the Siddaramiah government in Karnataka and the guarantees that were part of the poll campaign promises. Excerpts:

Will the Congress leaders who were invited to attend the consecration of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya come? The Congress is as confused as its leader Rahul Gandhi. I am not an astrologer to tell whether they will attend or not. But these are the same people who opposed the very existence of Lord Ram and existence of the temple some time back. If these leaders attend Ram Mandir consecration, they are in dilemma — what the minority voters would think. They fear losing their votes, and if they don’t attend, then the dilemma is what the majority will say. This is why I said they are in state of confusion.