Congress MP Shashi Tharoor Wednesday said he wasn't invited for the Ram Temple idol-installation ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22.

He said he saw “religion as a personal attribute and not one for political misuse”.

The Kerala MP also towed his party colleague Sam Pitroda's line that temples aren't the government's business.

"Was interrogated by the waiting press, wanting to know if I would be going to Ayodhya on January 22. I told them I hadn’t been invited but I saw religion as a personal attribute and not one for political (mis)use," he wrote on X.

Without naming the BJP, Tharoor said the media was playing into the hands of those who want to reap political benefits from the temple event.

"I also pointed out that by making such a major news story of the event, which has been known about for some time already, the media was playing into the hands of those who want to milk political benefit from the Ram Mandir while distracting the public from their governance failures," he said.

"Temples are not the government’s business; unemployment, inflation, public welfare and national security are. But the media allows the temple to turn the focus away from those issues," Tharoor added.

Was interrogated by the waiting press, wanting to know if I would be going to Ayodhya on January 22. I told them I hadn’t been invited but I saw religion as a personal attribute and not one for political (mis)use.

I also pointed out that by making such a major news story of the… pic.twitter.com/LQpybKbT3t
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 27, 2023