‘Ram not my god, India not a nation’: A Raja’s remarks leave BJP fuming, Cong distances itself
BJP says Raja’s remark that India was never a nation and was instead a subcontinent which is home to diverse practices and cultures, was an attempt to “Balkanise” the country
DMK MP A Raja’s purported remarks against Lord Ram and statement dismissing the identity of India as a nation, have sparked a political slugfest in Tamil Nadu, drawing condemnation from not just the BJP but also the Congress which is an ally of the ruling party.
What Raja said?
In a video where he is seen addressing a party-organised meeting in Madurai, Raja purportedly said that India was never a nation and is instead a subcontinent which is home to diverse practices and cultures.
A video of the speech was shared by BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya.
“India is not a (one) nation. Understand this well. India has never been one nation. One nation denotes one language, one tradition and one culture and only such characteristics make one nation," he is heard saying in the video.
“What’s the reason? Here, Tamil is one nation and one country. Malayalam is one language, one nation and one country. Oriya is one nation, one language and one country. All such national races constitute India. So, India is not a country, it is a subcontinent that has various practices, traditions and cultures,” he says.
He goes on the explain that the cultures of states which vary greatly from one another set them apart.
“In Tamil Nadu, there is a culture and in Kerala, there is another culture. Similarly, in Delhi, there is a culture. In Odisha, there is yet another culture. In Manipur, dog meat is eaten, which is a cultural aspect. In Kashmir there is one culture. Every culture has to be recognised. If a community eats beef, recognise it, what is your problem? Did they ask you to eat? So, (that is) unity in diversity. We have differences and it has to be acknowledged,” he says in the purported video.
‘Your Jai Shri Ram is chi’
Raja is also said to have made disparaging remarks on Ramayana and Lord Ram, asserting that Tamils will never accept Ram as their God neither chant the slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ or ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’.
“If you say this is the God. If this is your Jai Shri Ram, if this is your Bharat Mata Ki Jai, we will never accept that Jai Sri Ram and Bharat Mata. Tamil Nadu won’t accept. You go and tell, we’re enemies of Ram,” media reports quoted him as saying in the video.
“If you say that in name of the Ramayana is human harmony, where four brothers are born as siblings, one ‘kuravar’ as brother, one hunter as brother, another monkey as another brother, another monkey as the sixth brother, then your ‘Jai Sri Ram’ is chi! Idiots!” he is quoted as saying.
Raja trying to balkanise India: BJP
Raja’s comments have left the BJP fuming with the party calling it an attempt to “balkanise India”.
“The hate speeches from DMK’s stable continue unabated. After Udhayanidhi Stalin’s call to annihilate Sanatan Dharma, it is now A Raja who calls for balkanisation of India, derides Bhagwan Ram, makes disparaging comments on Manipuris and questions the idea of India, as a nation. Congress and other I.N.D.I Alliance partners are quiet. Rahul Gandhi, their putative Prime Ministerial candidate’s silence is eloquent,” Malviya, said in a post on X.
Addressing the press, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that insulting India’s ethos publicly and humiliating Hindu gods has become the hallmark of the INDIA bloc’s political agenda. The DMK is part of the INDIA alliance.
He called Raja’s ‘India is not a nation’ remark an imprint of “Maoist ideology”.
The BJP leader demanded that the Congress and other INDIA bloc constituents to come out and say if they agree with the DMK leader’s remarks. “We vehemently condemn such remarks,” Prasad charged.
BJP demands explanation from Gandhis, Congress
“Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka (Gandhi Vadra), Mallikarjun Kharge, do you consider it (Raja’s remarks) right?” he asked.
Defaming India’s identity and insulting Indian faith has become a habit and political agenda of INDIA ‘gathbandhan’, the BJP leader said.
“That’s the reason why the Supreme Court on Monday, while hearing Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin's plea for clubbing together all FIRs filed against him over his "eradicate Sanatan dharma" remark, had noted that he takes undue liberty with the freedom of speech and then comes to the court seeking relief,” he added.
Urging Opposition leaders not to insult Hindu sentiment, Prasad said, “We respect all faiths. This is the Indian ‘sanskar’ from Rig Veda which says that ‘truth is one, paths may be different'."
100 per cent disagree: Congress condemns Raja's remarks
The Congress chose not to side with its southern ally and condemned Raja’s remarks, while asserting that one should exercise restraint while speaking.
“I 100 per cent disagree with his remarks. From this platform, I condemn such a statement. I believe Ram belongs to everyone and is all encompassing," Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said.
"I believe that Ram, who was called Imam-e-Hind, is above communities, religions and castes. Ram is an ideal of living life. Ram is dignity, Ram is ethics, Ram is love. I completely condemn this statement, it could be his (Raja's) statement, I do not support it. I condemn it and I think people should be exercise restraint while talking," she said at a press conference.
(With inputs from agencies)
