The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday slammed Opposition parties including the Congress and other INDIA bloc constituents for their silence over Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader A Raja’s remarks on ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mata’ and wondered if the DMK would use such derogatory comments against deities of other religions.
BJP leader and former union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “…He said that we will never accept ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’…Do Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge agree with this? Will DMK use such derogatory comments against deities of other religions? We respect all religions..” as ANI reported.
Also Read:Explained: Bengaluru water crisis and Karanataka govt’s Rs 556-crore plan to tackle it
The leader’s remarks came after the DMK leader sparked controversy by stating that Tamil Nadu would never embrace the BJP’s ideology of “Jai Sri Ram, and Bharat mata ki jai”. Addressing a public event in Madurai, Raja stated, “If you say it’s this God, this is Jai Sri Ram, this is Bharat Mata ki jai, then we and Tamil Nadu will never accept Bharat Mata and Jai Shri Ram.”
During his speech, the DMK leader expressed his disagreement with the BJP’s ideology. “I don’t believe in Ramayanam but as per the story, this is Kamba Ramayanam. Four brothers accepted Kuravar, Vetuvar, accepted a monkey as a brother. That is what Ramanayan is about which is good for wellness of humanity. But what you (BJP) say is bad,” Raja remarked.
Also Read:Big relief for Karnataka Dy CM DK Shivakumar as SC quashes 2018 money laundering case
BJP and union minister Anurag Thakur claimed that the DMK leader was associated with the ‘tukde tukde’ gang. “They are the people who abuse Hindi, talk about ending India, support the ‘tukde tukde’ gang and raise slogans of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ after their leader wins the Rajya Sabha elections. They are the people who want to destroy Indian culture. They have formed the INDI alliance but their arrogance is coming out. What was the compulsion that they had to raise slogans of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ and support ‘tukde tukde’ gang not just one but a lot of times,” Thakur stated.
In addition to Thakur and Prasad, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawala also rebuked Raja’s remarks, labelling the DMK as ‘Divide and rule, money making, and working for ‘khaandan.” Poonawala mentioned that DMK leaders consistently exhibit this mindset, citing examples such as Udhayanidhi Stalin calling for the eradication of ‘Sanatana Dharma’ or A Raja attempting to divide the nation by insulting Shri Ram.
Also Read:Karnataka on high alert after email threat to target Modi, others; FIR registered
He posed a question to Rahul Gandhi, asking whether it’s the ‘Mohabbat ki Dukaan’ or they are ‘Nafrat ke Bhaijaan.’Poonawala urged the Congress MP to clarify whether they will continue to ally with the DMK or not.” The DMK is an ally of the Congress in Tamil Nadu.
Priest condemns DMK leaders remarks, RJD distances
The head priest of Hanuman Garhi temple in Ayodhya, Ramesh Das, strongly condemned the remarks made by DMK leader A Raja concerning Lord Ram. “Whatever the DMK leader said is condemnable. The entire world is ‘Ram may’… We will write to the PM and the President about this,” priest said.
On the other hand, DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan stated that he is not the right person to comment on A Raja’s remarks. “I don’t know what A Raja spoke, but Raja will reply to that as I am not the right person because I don’t know what is in the mind of Raja,” Elangovan told ANI.
Meanwhile, Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which is part of the INDIA alliance, distanced himself from the DMK leader’s remarks, stating, “This is his personal statement. It is not ours (INDIA Alliance).”
(With ANI Inputs)
