A political controversy has erupted following Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s statement during a campaign rally in Chhattisgarh, where he compared ‘Shiva’ in a candidate’s name to Lord Ram. The statement did not sit well with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The saffron camp seized upon the opportunity to highlight to statement and target the grand old party. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that ‘divide and rule’ has been the tendency of the Congress party.
“Divide and rule has been the tendency of the Congress. The Congress is carrying forward the legacy of the British on every issue. They divided the society in the name of caste, region, and language,” he told ANI.
Speaking in support of Congress candidate Shivakumar Dahariya in the Janjgir-Champa Lok Sabha seat, Kharge remarked, “He can give a tough fight to Lord Ram because he is Shiv”.
Kharge’s comment also included a warning to the BJP against using religious rhetoric in their campaign, particularly in reference to the Ram Mandir issue in Ayodhya.
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Reacting to the statement, BJP National Shehzad Poonawallah accused the Congress of “dividing our Bhagwans (Gods)” and labelled them “anti-Hindu”.
Poonawallah in an X post, said, “Congress resort to divide Hindus to bolster its Muslim vote bank. He, taking reference to the previous instances, said that Congress disparaged Hindu beliefs.
“They say ‘Surya tilak’ of Shree Ram is ‘pakhand’, they abuse Ramcharitmanas, they abuse ‘Jai Shree Ram’ and today they are saying we will fight Ram and Shiva will fight Ram. This shows the mindset of Congress. ‘Sanatan Samapti’ is said by their ally, Khargeji’s son says ‘Sanatana is a disease’ even Khargeji has said that ‘Sanatana will come if Modi wins’ so this Sanatana Virodhi, Hindu Virodhi Ram Virodhi face of Congress party has once again come to the fore,” he said.
The Lok Sabha elections in Chhattisgarh, covering seven constituencies, are scheduled for the third phase on May 7.