'Is Going to Ayodhya and Praising Lord Ram Against Cong Party Activities?': Acharya Pramod Krishnam

New Delhi: Indian National Congress (INC) leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam was expelled from the party for six years on Saturday. There were several complaints against Pramod Krishnam for indiscipline and repeated statements against the party, said the All-India Congress Committee in its official statement on Saturday. Krishnam was expelled following a request from the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC).

Addressing the media this afternoon from Shri Kalki Dham in Sambhal, UP, Acharya Pramod Krishnam said, “The Congress party has released a letter saying Pramod Krishnan has been removed from Congress for six years. I am grateful to the Congress party. (But) is going to Ayodhya, praising Lord Ram against party activities? Is meeting (PM) Modi ji against party activities? Is talking about Sanatan Dharma against party activities?"

He further questioned his expulsion for six years from the Congress, saying it should be 14 years. “Lord Ram had been exiled for 14 years. Why is a Ram Bhakt being exiled for six years? They should make it 14,” said Krishnam.

On Rajiv Gandhi and the Congress

“I have been a part of the Congress for a long time now. I told (late Prime Minister) Rajiv Gandhi ji that I would never leave Congress, and I (have) kept my promise. I had promised Rajiv ji when he became the PM that I will be with the Congress until my last breath,” said Acharya.

“They (Congress) insulted me so many times and I used to question myself. But I had to keep my promise to Rajiv Gandhi ji,” he revealed.

“There were lots of decisions by the Congress party that I was not in support of,” he said. 

“The Congress should not have supported the DMK minister's statement on wiping out Sanatan Dharma,” he said, referring to the remark by Udhayanidhi Stalin.

He further said that the Congress should have supported the repealing of Article 370 and Triple Talaq by the Modi government.

Earlier, as his first reaction after being expelled from the Congress, Acharya Pramod Krishnam said that there could be no compromise. He said on social media platform X in Hindi, while tagging Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, “There can be no 'compromise' as far as Ram and ”Rashtra" (nation) is concerned".  

Acharya Pramod Krishnam has in recent times commented against the Congress or its ideology quite a few times. The spiritual guru has also spoken in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Ayodhya Ram Mandir, and shown support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PM Modi to visit Kalki Dham on Feb 19

Upon the invitation of Acharya Pramod Krishnam, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of Shri Kalki Dham on February 19 this year.

Meanwhile, there were several reactions to the expulsion of Acharya Pramod Krishnam from the Congress.

“The only mistake of Acharya Pramod Krishnam was to support the Ram Temple. This shows the ideology of the Congress party that he has been expelled,” said former J&K Deputy chief minister and BJP leader Kavinder Gupta