His tongue-in-cheek remark evoked peals of laughter from the crowd.
BJP leader Tejasvi Surya on Friday drew a parallel between opposition leaders who were turning down invitations for Ram temple inauguration and 'bhoot pishach' (evil spirits) that are kept at bay with the recital of Hanuman Chalisa.
The Bangalore South MP, who is also the national president of BJP's youth wing, was addressing a function organised here on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, which is also celebrated as the National Youth Day.
"I asked one of our workers in Bihar, why, in his view, were leaders of the 'Ghamandia' (derogatory parody of INDIA bloc) turning down invitations for the January 22 function.
"The worker said devotees chant the verse 'Bhoot pishach nikat nahin aave, Mahavir jab nam sunaave' (evil spirits scamper away upon hearing the name of Hanuman, also known by the sobriquet Mahavir)," Mr Surya told the 'Yuva Samagam' (youth conclave) organised under the aegis of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.
His tongue-in-cheek remark, which evoked peals of laughter from the crowd, came in the presence of a host of senior BJP leaders such as Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Nityanand Rai, local MP Ravi Shankar Prasad and state unit president Samrat Choudhary.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the function, Mr Prasad alleged that the decision of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former chief Sonia Gandhi and leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Choudhary to skip the January 22 ceremony at Ayodhya "is symbolic of Vinash Kaale Viprit Buddhi (losing good sense in the face of impending disaster)".
"It is shameful for the Congress which swears by the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi who dreamt of bringing Ram Rajya. The party's stance is in line with the way it approached issues like the Shah Bano case and triple talaq, caring for votes at the expense of welfare of the people," he said.
"But little does the Congress realise the extent of its own downfall. From a 400-plus tally it once enjoyed in Lok Sabha, the party has been reduced to just about 50. And in upcoming polls, it will find itself unable to face the people," the former Union minister claimed.
"The Congress seems to have reduced itself to a party that boycotts everything. Be it the inauguration of the new Parliament building, the G20 dinner or the Ram temple at Ayodhya," he added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)