BJP fumes as Shivraj Patil claims Lord Krishna discussed ‘jihad’ with Arjun in Bhagavad Gita

On Thursday, Patil, addressing a gathering during the launch of Congress leader Mohsina Kidwai's biography, said that the concept of Jihad was not only discussed in Quran but also in Bhagavad Gita when Lord Krishna was advising Arjuna on the battlefield of Mahabharata.

Written by India News Desk

October 21, 2022 13:38 IST

Former Lok Sabha speaker Shivraj Patil (left), Jammu & Kashmir National Conference Farooq Abdullah (right) and Congress leader Mohsina Kidwai during the launch of book titled 'Mohsina Kidwai- My Life In Indian Politics', in New Delhi (PTI)

Former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil’s remarks on ‘jihad’ being discussed in Bhagvad Gita has stirred up a huge row with the Bharatiya Janata Party accusing the Congress of resorting to vote-bank politics ahead of the Gujarat elections.

On Thursday, Patil, addressing a gathering during the launch of Congress leader Mohsina Kidwai’s biography, said that the concept of Jihad was not only discussed in Quran but also in Bhagavad Gita when Lord Krishna was advising Arjuna on the battlefield of Mahabharata.

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#WATCH | It's said there's a lot of discussion on Jihad in Islam… Even after all efforts, if someone doesn't understand clean idea, power can be used, it's mentioned in Quran & Gita… Shri Krishna taught lessons of Jihad to Arjun in a part of Gita in Mahabharat: S Patil, ex-HM pic.twitter.com/iUvncFEoYB
— ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2022

“It is said that the concept of Jihad is discussed in Islam…Jihad is used only when every effort, done with the right mindset, fails, then once can resort to the use of strength. When all peaceful means end, then only one can take up the weapons. And, this is not only discussed in the Quran, but also in Bhagavad Gita where Lord Krishna advises Arjun on the battlefield,” Patil said in Delhi, in the presence of the several senior political leaders like Congress MPs Shashi Tharoor and Digvijaya Singh, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and former Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.

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Accusing Congress of resorting to votebank politics ahead of the Gujarat state assembly polls and of “Hindu hatred”, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took to Twitter and wrote, “After AAP’s Gopal Italia and Rajendra Pal, not to be outdone in Hindu hatred and votebank politics, Congress’ Shivraj Patil says Shri Krishna taught jihad to Arjun!”

“This Hindu hatred is not a sanyog but a Votebank ka Prayog – it is a deliberate ploy before Gujarat polls to polarise a vote bank. Earlier “Janeudhari” Rahul Gandhi also said things about Hindutva; said LeT less dangerous than Hindu groups; Digvijaya blamed 26/11 on Hindus,” Poonawalla further tweeted.

Patil was India’s Home Minister between 2004 to 2008 during the UPA regime. He was also the Lok Sabha Speaker from 1991 to 1996 and the Governor of Punjab-cum-Chandigarh Administrator from 2010 to 2015.