The BJP on March 5 came down heavily on the India National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc parties, specifically on former Union Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP A. Raja’s reported remarks that “India was not a nation”, terming it “Maoist ideology”.
Former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, at a press conference at the BJP’s national headquarters in New Delhi, demanded to know whether the other constituents of the INDIA bloc parties agreed with Mr. Raja’s remarks on India’s ethos.
Mr. Raja reportedly referred to the chants of “Jai Shri Ram” raised by the supporters of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case when they were released, and said: “If that is your ‘Jai Shri Ram’, if this is your ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, we will never accept that ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mata’. Tamil don’t accept. You go and tell [that] we are enemies of Ram.”
“This is Maoist ideology,” Mr. Prasad charged, and further quoting Mr. Raja’s remarks on Lord Ram, said, “We (the BJP) vehemently condemn such remarks.”
“Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka [Gandhi Vadra], Mallikarjun Kharge, do you consider it [Raja’s remarks] right?” he asked.
Mr. Prasad alleged it was “evident that insulting India’s ethos publicly, humiliating Hindu gods, and questioning the very idea of India has become the hallmark of the political agenda of the India gathbandhan”.
He said that this was the reason why the Supreme Court on Monday, while hearing Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s plea for clubbing together all First Information Reports (FIR) filed against him over his “eradicate Sanatan Dharma” remark, had noted that Mr. Udayanidhi Stalin had taken undue liberty with freedom of speech and then sought relief from the court.
“Please do not insult Hindu sentiment in such a way, do not embarrass Hindu faith like this. We respect all faiths. This is the Indian sanskar (tradition) from Rig Veda which says that ‘truth is one, paths may be different’,” Mr. Prasad said.
