The Union government’s order to close all its offices for half a day on January 22 to “enable employees to participate in the celebrations for Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha at Ayodhya” is an unconstitutional step, the Left parties said. This robs government employees of “choice” regarding their religious beliefs, and clearly aligns the State to one religion, they added.
Following the Centre’s cue, BJP-ruled States have issued similar orders.
Apart from the Left, other Opposition parties are maintaining a studied silence on the issue. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who is currently leading the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, had said that the Congress could not participate in the January 22 event as it was a purely “BJP-RSS” event. While the other Opposition parties are also staying away from the function at Ayodhya, none have spoken out against the Union government’s order for a half-day holiday.
