Is Ram Mandir real issue or unemployment & inflation?: Cong leader Sam Pitroda

NEW DELHI: As the country is preparing for the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda has raised a question, stating, "Is Ram Mandir the real issue or unemployment and inflation?"

"I have no problem with any religion. It is okay to go visit the temple once in a while, but you can't make that the main platform. 40 per cent of the people vote for BJP, and 60 per cent of the people do not vote for BJP. He is everybody's Prime Minister and not a party's Prime Minister and that's the message the people of India want him to have. Talk about employment, talk about inflation, talk about science and technology, and challenges. They (people) have to decide what are the real issues- is Ram Mandir the real issue? Or unemployment is a real issue. Is Ram Mandir the real issue or Inflation is a real issue?" he told ANI.

"Practice your religion but keep religion separate from politics," Pitroda, also the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, emphasised.

Pitroda urged the Congress and the INDIA bloc members to take the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) "seriously" as the 2024 Lok Sabha election will decide the "destiny of the nation" when he was asked about the questions being raised by some Opposition parties on the functioning of EVMs.

"I would request my party and the alliance members to take this matter very seriously. It is not a simple issue. Don't overlook it because the 2024 election will decide the destiny of the nation. It will decide the path that India going to take in the future. I see that democracy is undermined today. A PM of a country does not hold a press conference for 10 years, that bothers me. Prime Minister giving more time in the temple, that bothers me," he added.

Speaking on the PM face of the INDIA bloc, the senior Congress leader said that the election should be fought on an idea, not on any face or personality.

"The election should be fought on an idea. Who will safeguard the Constitution? Who will enhance your democracy? Who will provide jobs, care for your health, and infrastructure? This is not a presidential election. It is a Parliamentary election. So you don't have to have a face but have an idea. The idea is we want democracy, we want inclusion, diversity. These are the issues. It's not Modi vs somebody. INDIA alliance have many qualified people. Some are visible, some are not," Pitroda said.

Praising Rahul Gandhi, he said that the Congress leader is an intelligent man and qualified to lead. "When abroad we don't criticise India, we criticise Indian government. Don't create confusion between these two different things. India is important to the world. We have all the right to discuss about our country on a global platform," said Pitroda, who accompanied Rahul Gandhi during his US trip.

Expressing his confidence of victory in the 2024 elections, Sam Pitroda said, "The people of the country have to think if they want to build Hindu Rashtra or if they want to build a truly secular nation with a focus on inclusion, diversity, employment, and development."