New Delhi: A Congress candidate from Rajkot has sparked a controversy over his comments about religious places Ajmer and Somnath during a public meeting ahead of the upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls.
Indranil Rajguru, who is a former Congress MLA, competing on the party ticket from Rajkot (East) seat, addressed a gathering on Saturday mostly comprising Muslim in the constituency saying they should chant "Har Har Mahadev" after him. The crowd members did the same, according to the news agency PTI.
A rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate targeted the Congress candidate claiming the remarks were objectionable to the Hindu community.
"In my view, Mahadev and Allah are the same. Mahadev resides in Ajmer, and Allah resides in Somnath. Allahu Akbar (God is great)," Rajguru said in his address.
Notably, Ajmer is famous for the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti while Somnath is known for the temple of Lord Mahadev.
"In my view, Mahadev and Allah are the same. I feel joy in taking my Hindu brothers to Lord Mahadev (Somnath) on a bus. But I feel the same joy when I go to Ajmer with trains full of people...Those who seek to reform us should know we are all human beings. Allahu Akbar. Har Har Madev," said Rajguru, who recently rejoined the Congress after moving to the Aam Aadmi Party for a brief period.
After the video that went viral on social media on Sunday, Rajguru said, "A clip of mine saying 'Allahu Akbar' has surfaced. In the same clip, people should also listen to 5,000 Muslims chanting 'Har Har Mahadev'." He blamed the opponent BJP for making the portion of his speech viral in which he is seen saying 'Allahu Akbar'.
"I asked them (the public gathering) that if I do not feel ashamed in taking Allah's name, then should you feel ashamed of taking the name of Mahadev? When I said 'Allahu Akbar', then 5,000 people chanted 'Har Har Mahadev'. This is the reality of the video," Rajguru said explaining his stance on the issue.
While BJP's Uday Kangad, who is contesting against Rajguru from Rajkot (East), reacted to the remarks by saying, "There is a great difference. Such a statement is objectionable to the Hindu community...Somnath is revered across the country, is the first jyotirling. One should not say something like this." Religious leader from Ahmedabad Chaitanya Shambhu Maharaj said he strongly condemns Rajguru's statements.
"This is an example of how low a person can stoop for votes. By such a statement he has insulted not just the Hindus but also Muslims...This is just an attempt to woo Hindu and Muslim voters," he claimed.
The 182-member Gujarat Assembly will go to polls in two phases on December 1 and 5.