Rajendra Gudha, a former MLA from Rajasthan, has stored up a hornets' nest with his comments on 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans being raised in India. In a viral video, Gudha can be seen addressing a crowd and rhetorically asking: "Is it written in the Constitution that one cannot say 'Pakistan Zindabad' in India?" reacting to this, the Bharatiya Janta Party accused him of treason.
The controversy comes right before the bypolls to the seven assembly seats in Rajasthan to be held on November 13. The bypolls will be held for the Jhunjhunu, Dausa, Deoli-Uniara, Khinvsar, Chaurasi, Salumbar, and Ramgarh seats. Rajendra Gudha is contesting the Jhunjhunu seat as an independent.
Rajendra Gudha joined the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) last year after being ousted by the Congress over the "red diary" controversy. The Shinde Sena is part of the BJP-led NDA.
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Soon after Gudha's statement went viral, senior BJP leader and Education Minister Madan Dilawar demanded a police investigation. Madan Dilawar said: "Pakistan is our enemy country and Gudha's statement is nothing short of treason."
Gudha made the statement during a public meeting in Sultana village. He said, "'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans are raised at the Pakistani Embassy in India and 'Bharat Zindabad' slogans are raised at the Indian embassy in Pakistan. So, why can't Pakistan Zindabad slogans be raised in the country? In which constitution is this prohibited?"
The statements of Rajendra Singh Gudha, who was a minister in the previous Gehlot government, have become a topic of discussion earlier as well. Many of his statements have been in the news and just a few days ago, he targeted officers and leaders of a particular caste and said why there are only leaders and officers of one caste in Jhunjhunu.
Calling Gudha a "traitor", National secretary of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) Dharmbeer Singh Lamba said: "Shame on this traitor. To become an MLA, this broker wants to defame the Muslims for their votes. But he does not know that the Muslims of Jhunjhunu are patriotic and the district as produced several martyrs. He should drown."