Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday once again challenged Congress leaders Kamal Nath as well as Bhupesh Baghel to take party’s veteran Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi to Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
Addressing a public rally as part of BJP’s ‘parivartan yatra’ campaign ahead of the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh’s Surajpur, Sarma said the Congress leaders who claim themselves to be Hindus should take the Gandhi family to pay obeisance to Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. “Kamal Nath ji in Madhya Pradesh and Bhupesh Baghel in Chhattisgarh say that they are also Hindus. I challenge them that if they are Hindus, then they should take Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi to Ayodhya’s Ram Lalla temple once,” he said.
The BJP leader also alleged that a conspiracy was being hatched against “Sanatana Dharma” in the state and slammed the Opposition’s newly formed INDIA bloc for creating an anti-Hindu atmosphere in India.
“A conspiracy is being hatched against Sanatana culture in Chhattisgarh. Since Bhupesh Baghel was elected as chief minister, the influx of Rohingya (refugees from Myanmar) in the state has become a major issue,” Sarma claimed.
“The Congress allowed Bangladeshis to enter Assam illegally. In Chhattisgarh, Rohingya have started entering. Baghel says he worships gau-mata (cow) but we don’t want this. We want you to say that you are a Hindu and devoted to Hinduism,” Sarma added.
The Assam CM added that the Opposition should learn from former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee who went to the UN during the Nehru government and praised the country.
“There will be a change in Chhattisgarh, the people of the state will give the opportunity to PM Modi to form the government. The Opposition should learn from Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He went to the UN during the Nehru government and he praised India. Today, when Rahul Gandhi goes abroad, he abuses the country.”
On Monday, he attacked the opposition bloc and expressed his belief that Sanatana Dharma will endure regardless of circumstances. Speaking at a rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Panna, Sarma took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi and said, “I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that ‘Sanatana tha, Sanatana hai, aur Sanatana hamesha rahega‘ (Sanatana was, Sanatana is, and Sanatana will always be).”
States including Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan will go to polls in November this year. These states will witness a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress; the results will set the tone for the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
(With inputs from agencies)
