NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI/NEW DELHI/MUMBAI, MARCH 5
Senior DMK MP A Raja has sparked off a political outrage after he said he’s an “enemy of Lord Ram” and “India not a nation, but subcontinent with various cultures.”
Speaking at a public event at Gobichettipalayam in Erode district, the former union minister said he doesn’t believe in Lord Ram or the Ramayana.
Raja was referring to the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ chants raised by the supporters of Bilkis Bano case convicts when they were released from jail in August 2022.
“If this is what the chants of Jai Sri Ram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai stand for, we will never accept it. Tamil Nadu will not accept it. If you want, you go ahead and say we are enemies of Lord Ram,’’ Raja was quoted as saying by media reports.
In another controversial statement that angered the BJP and other right-wing groups, Raja remarked in the same speech that India is not a nation but a subcontinent.
“What’s the reason? Here, Tamil is one nation and one country. Malayalam is one language, one nation and one country. Oriya is one nation, one language and one country. All such national races constitute India. So, India is not a country; it is a subcontinent that has various practices, traditions and cultures.
If you say this is the God. If this is your Jai Sri Ram, if this is your Bharat Mata Ki Jai, we will never accept that Jai Sri Ram and Bharat Mata. Tamil Nadu won’t accept. You go and tell, we’re enemies of Ram.
I don’t have faith on Ramayana, and lord Ram. If you say that in… pic.twitter.com/EALfz8dgaM
— Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) March 5, 2024
“The hate speeches from DMK’s stable continue unabated. After Udhayanidhi Stalin’s call to annihilate Sanatan Dharma, it is now A Raja who calls for the balkanization of India, derides Bhagwan Ram, makes disparaging comments on Manipuris, and questions the idea of India as a nation,” BJP in-charge of IT wing Amit Malviya said in a post on X.
“Congress and other I.N.D.I. Alliance partners are quiet. Rahul Gandhi, their putative Prime Ministerial candidate’s silence is eloquent,” he added.
#BharatVsTukde | PM Modi during Pran Pratishtha visited all the holy places that Lord Ram visited, several of them being in South India: Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) BJP MP & former Union Minister
Tune in to watch the debate live with Arnab and fire in your views -… pic.twitter.com/JsLbpiTcJu
— Republic (@republic) March 5, 2024
BJP senior leader Ravishankar Prasad said the DMK leader’s remark displayed “Maoist ideology”.
He asked Congress leaders if they supported this remark.
“Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka (Gandhi Vadra), Mallikarjun Kharge, do you consider it (Raja’s remarks) right?” he asked.
He claimed 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 bloc.
“Please do not insult Hindu sentiment in such a way, do not embarrass Hindu faith like this,” Prasad said, adding, “We respect all faiths. This is the Indian ‘sanskar’ from Rig Veda which says that ‘truth is one, paths may be different.”
The Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday condemned controversial remarks made by their INDIA bloc ally DMK’s MP, A Raja, saying they believe in Lord Ram.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate condemned A Raja’s remark.
“I 100 percent disagree with his remarks. From this platform, I condemn such a statement. I believe Ram belongs to everyone and is all encompassing,” she said.
She said Lord Ram is above communities.
“I believe that Ram, who was called Imam-e-Hind, is above communities, religions and castes. Ram is an ideal of living life. Ram is dignity, Ram is ethics, Ram is love. I completely condemn this statement, it could be his (Raja’s) statement, I do not support it. I condemn it and I think people should exercise restraint while talking,” she said at a press conference.
Shiv Sena-UBT spokesperson Anand Dubey said the INDIA bloc condemns the statement.
“A Rajaji, you don’t believe in Lord Ram or Baba Sahib Ambedkar or the Constitution or the country’s unity and integrity. Then what do you believe in? MK Stalin ji should stop such people. The INDIA alliance condemns A Raja’s statement,” he added.
