New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Aparna Yadav on Saturday came down heavily on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for his ‘insulting’ remarks at the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya and demanded that he apologise before the nation.
Aparna Yadav, speaking to IANS, accused the Congress leader of demeaning the Sanatan Dharma with his ‘slanderous’ statements and said the country is watching his and the Congress party’s antics on matters of Hindu faith.
The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha sparked a major political furore on Saturday as he claimed that the January 22 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya was much like a “naach-gaana” event.
“They invited Amitabh Bachchan, businessmen and many other celebrities. Did they invite any carpenter, any labourer or farmer? There was just naach-gaana going on,” Rahul said in the viral video clip.
Taking strong objection to this, Aparna said that Lord Ram is a matter of our religious beliefs as he represents the character of the nation. Speaking ill about Lord Ram is nothing less than a crime.
“He must refrain from casting aspersions on Hindu religion. Countrymen won’t forgive Rahul, he must apologise before the nation,” she demanded.
Aparna, also the vice-chairperson of UP State Women’s Commission was unsparing in his criticism of the Gandhi family also.
“Rahul is not alone in demeaning and deprecating the Sanatan Dharma. Three former Congress Prime Ministers belonging to the Gandhi family didn’t hesitate in running down the country’s rich culture and tradition,” she said.
She described the felicitation and showering of flower petals on labourers and peasants during the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya as a special event and said that no such Prime Minister has done in the past what PM Modi has done.
“PM Modi broke the protocol to make the labourers feel an inseparable part of the nation's growth,” she said.
She also questioned the rejection of Ram Mandir’s Pran Pratishtha invite by the Congress party and demanded that Rahul must first explain why he turned down the invitation.
Rahul’s “naach-gaana” comment has triggered a wave of outrage, with many BJP leaders slamming him for what they called derogatory and inflammatory remarks against the Ram Temple.