Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam on Friday claimed that there were leaders within his party who hate Lord Ram and Hindus. "I have felt that there are some leaders in Congress who hate Lord Ram. These leaders also hate the word 'Hindu', they want to insult Hindu religious gurus. They don't like that there should be a Hindu religious guru in the party," he said.
Acharya Krishnam's comments came barely two months ahead of the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya's Ram Temple.
In September, When Udhayanidhi Stalin's comments on Sanatan Dharm created a controversy, Acharya Pramod Krishnam lashed out saying: "Whoever speaks against Sanatan Dharma, is also against India because this nation cannot be imagined without Sanatanis. Those who speak against Sanatan are descendants of Ravana and their annihilation is certain."
Acharya Pramod Krishnam even suggested throwing out such leaders from the I.N.D.I.A bloc. The Acharya said, "I want to appeal to all the senior leaders of the alliance that they should expel the political parties who speak against Sanatan. It is time to make a decision that to stop opposing Sanatan Dharm."
The Congress leader from Lucknow last month raised a few eyebrows when he called on the I.N.D.I.A bloc leaders to invite BSP supremo Mayawati into the alliance. He said that without including Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati in the anti-BJP alliance of opposition parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cannot be defeated in Uttar Pradesh.
According to PTI, Acharya Pramod Krishnam said Mayawati is a leader in Uttar Pradesh who can influence 18%-22% of the voters. If I.N.D.I.A is formed without Mayawati, then there is no point in calling it a 'grand alliance'. He said that if the BJP is to be defeated then, along with Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Congress, Mayawati should also join the alliance.
Acharya Pramod had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Lucknow on a Congress ticket, but lost to BJP's Rajnath Singh.