‘A man who leads a Bohemian life’: Subramanian Swamy mocks Rahul Gandhi over Congress’ Lord Ram comparison

Firebrand politician and former Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday came down hard on the Congress after senior party leader Salman Khurshid sought to draw parallels between Rahul Gandhi and Lord Ram. The comparison came as images of Rahul, who is leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra, clad in a white t-shirt in the harsh Delhi winter went viral on social media platforms.

“Rahul Gandhi is superhuman. While we are freezing in the cold and wearing jackets, he is going out in T-Shirts. He is like a yogi doing his tapasya with focus,” Khurshid said addressing the media on Monday.

“Lord Ram’s ‘khadau’ goes very far. Sometimes when Ram ji is not able to reach, Bharat takes the ‘khadau’ and goes to places. Similarly, we have carried the ‘khadau’ in Uttar Pradesh. Now that ‘khadau’ has reached Uttar Pradesh. Ram ji will also come,” he added.

Congress scared of Hindu vote consolidation: Subramanian Swamy

Scoffing at the attempt to link Rahul with Lord Ram, Subramanian Swamy termed it a “desperate attempt” to breach the “Hindutva vote bank” fearing that the party may fail to see any electoral victories unless they too participate in it.

“What you are seeing today is a very desperate attempt to try and break the Hindutva vote bank which is becoming very powerful… The Congress is afraid that they will not be able to make any victories unless they also participate in it,” Swamy said participating in a debate on Times Now.

According to Swamy, the Hindu vote which was earlier divided on the basis of caste is now “melting”.

“People are increasingly identifying themselves more and more as Hindus. The caste system has started to break down… This unity of the Hindus, which translates into 80 per cent of the population, is scaring the Congress,” Swamy said.

Congress always questioned the existence of Lord Ram, says Swamy

Swamy further pointed out that Congress has questioned the existence of Lord Ram on multiple occasions in the past.

“In 2008, I had moved a petition against the Sethusamudram project which required cutting through Ram Setu. What did the Congress party file in its affidavit in the Supreme Court? They said that this whole thing is mythical. There is no substance (to the claim) that Lord Ram was a living human being. Later on, they modified the affidavit but never said that Ram was a real person who had come as an avatar on Earth and directed the building of Ram Setu,” said Swamy.

Swamy further alleged that the Congress party had provided legal support to the opponents of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. “When the Ram Mandir matter was being taken up, the Congress party provided lawyers to the opponents of the Ram Temple, questioning how anybody could know that Lord Ram was born there,” he added.

Can’t compare Rahul Gandhi to Lord Ram: Swamy

The former parliamentarian also took exception to the Congress comparing Rahul with Lord Ram. “To compare a person who lives a Bohemian life, much of it in London, cannot be compared with Lord Ram who was a person with great discipline. He acted in a manner in which the common people could identify with him,” he said.

Salman Khurshid, reacting to the BJP’s reaction to his comparison of Rahul with Lord Ram, issued a clarification later. “None can be compared to God but I appreciate the people who walk on the path of God. If someone does ‘tapasya’ for good work, if we see ‘Maryada Purushottam’ in anyone’s behaviour, can’t we praise that person?” Khurshid said when asked about his remark.

“What is the Maryada?” Swamy shot back. “There is still a case pending in the Home ministry… I don’t know why Amit Shah is sitting on it… An open and shut case which shows that Rahul Gandhi actually claimed to be a British citizen for opening a company called Backops Limited in London. Rahul was also served a show-cause notice when Rajnath Singh was the Home minister but he never replied to it,” Swamy alleged.