'In 2019, It Was Surgical Strike': Congress Says BJP Using 'Sanatan Dharma' To Distract People Before LS Polls

Speaking on the Sanatan Dharma row, Kamal Nath said that the BJP is trying to distract people to avoid discussion on the main issues.

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath.

Source : Getty

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party over the Sanatan Dharma row and said that the saffron party is trying to distract people to avoid discussion on the main issues. He further stated that the people need to understand that the BJP will try to distract them in the coming months. Kamal Nath was speaking at an event in Madhya Pradesh. He said that the BJP is trying to change the agenda and distract people as if they have taken agency of Dharma. 

"India is a country of Sanatana Dharma...We need to understand what is Sanatana Dharma...The BJP tries to distract people...Do you remember that in the 2019 elections, it was nationalism and surgical strike...As if they have taken agency of Dharma...People should understand that BJP will try to distract in the coming three months so as to avoid discussion on main issues," Kamal Nath said, as quoted by the news agency ANI.

#WATCH | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh: On Sanatana Dharma row, Madhya Pradesh Former CM Kamal Nath says,"...India is a country of Sanatana Dharma...We need to understand what is Sanatana Dharma...The BJP tries to distract people...Do you remember that in the 2019 elections, it was… pic.twitter.com/HbFV9rmtFt

— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) September 16, 2023

Speaking on the row, Congress General Secretary and  MP Randeep Singh Surjewala said that Santan Dharma has always been there and will continue to exist even when we will not be here. 

#WATCH | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh: On Sanatana Dharma row, Congress General Secretary and MP Randeep Singh Surjewala says,"...Sanatana is nothing but people of this country...Santana Dharma has always been there and will continue to exist even when we will not be here..." pic.twitter.com/PEALj02De6

— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) September 16, 2023

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Handed Over Agenda Of Abusing Sanatan Dharma To DMK: Nadda

BJP President JP Nadda on Friday (September 15) made a striking allegation, claiming that top Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi shared an "agenda of abusing and disrespecting" Sanatan Dharma with their key ally DMK and other partners within the opposition coalition I.N.D.I.A. This assertion by Nadda comes at a time when the debate over Sanatan Dharma is heating up, with fellow BJP leader and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma describing the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a "civilizational fight," claiming that the people of the country will vote to "protect Sanatan Dharma". Several union ministers have also criticised the new opposition alliance on this issue.

In response to these allegations, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath emphasised India's rich religious tapestry and stated that Sanatan Dharma does not advocate the exclusion of other faiths. This statement came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc of attempting to "destroy" Sanatan Dharma, as reported by news agency PTI. 

Criticising the anti-BJP coalition, Nadda claimed that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi's "agenda" revolved around "abusing and disrespecting" Sanatan Dharma. "My allegation is that the mother-son duo handed over the agenda of abusing and disrespecting Sanatan Dharma to the DMK and other parties (of I.N.D.I.A) at the Mumbai meeting," he said. Actually, it is Sonia and Rahul's agenda," PTI quoted him as saying.