BJP President J P Nadda.
Credit: PTI File Photo
BJP President J P Nadda on Friday alleged that top Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi had handed over the "agenda of abusing and disrespecting" Sanatan Dharma to their key ally DMK and other partners of the "arrogant" Opposition coalition I.N.D.I.A.
Nadda made the allegation even as fellow BJP leader and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma dubbed the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as a "civilisational fight" in which people of the country will vote for "protecting the Sanatan Dharma". Several union ministers also targeted the new Opposition alliance over the Sanatan Dharma issue.
Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, meanwhile, said India is home to many religions and Sanatan Dharma does not teach anyone to keep other faiths away. His statement came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc of trying to 'destroy' Sanatan Dharma.
Hitting out at the anti-BJP coalition, Nadda claimed the 'agenda' of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi was to 'abuse and disrespect' Sanatan Dharma.
"My allegation is that the mother-son duo handed over the agenda of abusing and disrespecting Santana Dharma at the Mumbai meeting to the DMK and other parties (of I.N.D.I.A). Actually, it is the agenda of Sonia and Rahul," he said, slamming the two Congress leaders.
Addressing a rally at Jashpur in north Chhattisgarh to flag off the second 'Parivartan Yatra' of the state's opposition party BJP ahead of the assembly polls, he also targeted Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and asked him to clarify his stand on anti-Sanatan Dharma remarks made by Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, whose party DMK is a member of I.N.D.I.A bloc.
“I.N.D.I.A alliance... ghamandiya (arrogant) alliance held a meeting in Mumbai on September 1. On September 3, Tamil Nadu CM Stalin's son Udhayanidhi Stalin, whose party DMK is a key partner of the alliance, disrespected Sanatan Dharma by linking it with serious diseases. He left no stone unturned in disrespecting Sanatan Dharma in every way,” Nadda said.
The next day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's son, who is a minister in the Karnataka government, attacked Sanatan Dharma and subsequently another minister from Tamil Nadu, too, targeted the ancient faith, the BJP chief said.
"What should we understand from this? Sonia Gandhi is silent till today on the issue. Rahul goes all over the world and talks about the Constitution, but avoids saying even a single word on it (Sanatan issue)."
Nadda also sought to know if the Constitution has given the right to anyone to disrespect a religion. "Is it written in the Constitution that any religion, any idea, any belief should be abused or has the Constitution given right to disrespect any religion? You (Rahul) say that you run 'mohabbat ki dukan' (shop of love), but hatred is being sold in your shop."
Chief Minister Sarma, who spoke to journalists at the Patna airport, alleged that the I.N.D.I.A bloc was "formed with the sole intent to destroy our civilization and culture."
Sarma was responding to queries about the escalating 'Sanatan Dharma' row.
"The remarks against Sanatan Dharma show that the alliance has been formed with the sole intent to destroy our civilization and culture. Hence, I see the Lok Sabha polls as a civilizational fight in which the people of the country will take part to protect Sanatan Dharma," said Sarma.
Queries on the row were also posed to Meenakshi Lekhi, the Minister of State for External Affairs, when she reached the Patna airport.
Lekhi said Sanatan Dharma stands for democracy and freedom since its adherents are at liberty to approach the divine in whichever way they feel like. "But this is something the opposition alliance cannot appreciate since it believes in dynasty rule and, hence, is undemocratic."
Union minister and BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia asserted Sanatan Dharma is the foundation of India and those talking about its eradication will be themselves "destroyed" by the "140 crore people of the country".
He questioned the "silence" of Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) parties over critical statements made on Sanatan Dharma by the DMK and claimed the opposition bloc is riddled with internal contradictions.
Scindia, talking to reporters at the Indore airport, said the I.N.D.I.A front has parties ranging from north to south and they speak in different voices.
"There is a party in north which thinks the move to make Kashmir an integral part of India was wrong. This alliance includes a party from south India which has called for destruction of Sanatan Dharma,” he said.
In a reference to the critical statements made by DMK leaders, Scindia said rest of the I.N.D.I.A parties were silent on the issue 'as if someone had put tapes on their mouths'. Udhayanidhi Stalin had likened Sanatan Dharma to diseases like malaria and dengue and called for its eradication.
"There is talk of destroying Sanatan Dharma that The Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi followed till his last breath. The alliance that talks about destroying Sanatan Dharma, which is the foundation of India, will be destroyed by the 140 crore people of the country,” Scindia said.
Union Minister Parshottam Rupala said leaders of I.N.D.I.A will have to decide if they want to contest next year's Lok Sabha polls with persons who are anti-Sanatan Dharma.
Speaking at a function in Indore, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said, "The parties in the I.N.D.I.A bloc should think about what kind of people they are with."
"These parties will have to decide whether they want to contest elections by carrying the burden of persons who talk about eradication of Sanatan Dharma or by standing with the culture of the country," Rupala said.
The fundamental concept of both Sanatan Dharma and the Constitution was that all religions should be respected and no religion should be insulted, he asserted.
Those making irresponsible statements against Sanatan Dharma are violating this fundamental concept, Rupala added.