Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday linked Congress leaders' protest in black clothes over the issues of price rise and unemployment to the party's "appeasement" politics to convey its opposition to the Ram temple foundation laying by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this day in 2020.
Speaking to reporters, Shah said everybody saw protests from Congress leaders of late in regular clothes they wore but they especially chose black clothes for Friday agitation as Modi peacefully resolved an over 550-year dispute which was associated with the faith of crores of people.
The construction of the temple is now in full swing, he noted.
The Congress is conveying its opposition to the temple construction and the issues of ED action and price rise are only excuses, Shah claimed.
As the Congress could not have openly expressed its opposition to the temple, it has tried to give a hidden message, he alleged.
Despite being in power for most of the time since independence, the Congress did nothing to resolve the dispute while Modi found a solution to it in a peaceful manner, the home minister said.
Wearing black clothes, Congress leaders hit the streets to protest against price rise and unemployment with a host of them, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, being detained by police for nearly six hours.
The Congress hit back at Shah for linking the party's protests to the Ram temple foundation day, saying it was a desperate attempt to "divert, distract, polarise and give a malicious twist" to its democratic demonstrations against price rise.
The Opposition party also dismissed as "bogus" Shah's remarks and said its stir against price rise has clearly hit home.
In a sharp retort, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the home minister made a desperate attempt to "divert, distract, polarise and give a malicious twist" to the party's protests against price rise, unemployment and GST.
"It's only a sick mind which can produce such bogus arguments. Clearly the protests have hit home!" Ramesh said.
