Following DMK leader A Raja’s comments on ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and the concept of India, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav remarked that Raja’s statement is personal and does not represent the view of the India National Democratic Alliance.
“This is his personal statement. It is not ours (INDIA Alliance).” stated RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party IT cell head Amit Malviya criticized DMK’s A Raja, alleging that he advocated for the “Balkanization of India,” disparaged Lord Ram, made derogatory remarks about Manipuris, and questioned the idea of India as a nation.
“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,” Malviya shared on X on Tuesday.
“Congress and other INDI Alliance partners are quiet. Rahul Gandhi, their putative Prime Ministerial candidate’s silence is eloquent,” he added.
Senior BJP leader and Lok Sabha MP Ravi Shankar Prasad raised questions about the Congress leadership’s stance on the matter, asking whether they agreed with DMK leader A Raja’s statements.
“He (A Raja) said that we will never accept ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’…Do Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge agree with this? Will DMK use such derogatory comments against deities of other religions? We respect all religions,” Ravi Shankar Prasad remarked.
Earlier, Amit Malviya shared a transcript of A Raja’s speech made in Madurai, stating, “India is not a nation. Understand this well. India is never a nation. One nation means one language, one tradition and one culture. Then only it is one nation. India is not a nation but a subcontinent. What’s the reason? Here, Tamil is one nation and one country. Malayalam is one language, one nation and one country. Oriya is a nation, a language and a country. All these nations make up India. So, India is not country it is a subcontinent. There are so many traditions and cultures. If you come to Tamil Nadu, there’s a culture. In Kerala, there’s another culture. In Delhi, there’s another culture. In Oriya, there’s another culture. Why in Manipur, as RS Bharathi said, they eat dog meat. Yes, it is true, they eat. That’s a culture. There’s nothing wrong. It’s all in our mind.”
