The take over of the bhumi pujan ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya by the U.P. administration along with the Central government’s involvement goes against the Supreme Court verdict and provides retrospective legitimisation for the destruction of the Babri Masjid, the CPI (M) Polit Bureau said in a statement here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to participate in the ceremony on August 5.

“The Supreme Court had given its verdict and paved the way for the construction of the temple. However, this construction was directed to be undertaken by a Trust. The take over of the bhumi pujan ceremony at Ayodhya by the U.P. administration along with the Central government involvement at the highest level of the Prime Minister goes against both the Supreme Court verdict and the letter and spirit of the Constitution of India,” the statement said.

The Supreme Court verdict also condemned the December 6, 1992 demolition describing it as a criminal act, the party pointed out. “Far from punishing those guilty, the involvement of the Central/State governments must not provide retrospective legitimisation for this destruction.”

At a time when COVID-19 pandemic is raging across the country and the preventive protocol stipulated by the Union Home Ministry rules out religious gatherings, such a gathering in Ayodhya is uncalled for. The party said reports of priests and policemen deployed in Ayodhya testing positive only highlights the risk to human lives.

The party hit out at the BJP for using the occasion to exploit people’s religious sentiments for partisan political purposes.