Bansuri Swaraj-led BJP delegation files police complaint against Oppn MPs over Ram Temple donation theft skit

New Delhi: A delegation led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Bansuri Swaraj on Saturday submitted a written complaint to New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), alleging that several Opposition MPs, including Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi, Independent MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, and Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Awadhesh Prasad have “hurt” Hindu religious sentiments through their act at the Parliament premises.

The delegation included BJP MLAs Anil Sharma and Karnail Singh.

A row erupted after Purnia MP Pappu Yadav came dressed as a monk in the Parliament complex on Friday and enacted the alleged embezzlement of donations made at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple, with several opposition leaders, including LoP Gandhi and Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad, playing their parts.

Speaking to IANS, Bansuri Swaraj said: “Yesterday, the kind of pretense that was put up by Pappu Yadav, Awadhesh Prasad and LoP Rahul Gandhi in the name of protest, it was not a demonstration but rather a mockery of the Sanatan culture, the saint community and was a satire on India’s traditions.”

Maintaining that the Constitution does guarantee the right to protest, the BJP MP asserted that it does not give the right to hurt the sentiments of any community.

“That is why we (BJP MPs) have arrived at the police station here, demanding the registration of an FIR. We have also submitted a complaint, requesting an immediate investigation into the matter,” Swaraj added.

BJP MLA Anil Sharma said: “Our (BJP’s) demand is that action should be taken against those who insulted Hinduism and Sanatan Dharma…There was no need for such theatrics, the SIT (in Ayodhya) is probing the donation theft allegations and the accused have also been arrested.”

“Saffron robes were deliberately worn (by Pappu Yadav) to portray that the entire saint community is thief. We are strictly against it and want the police to take action against Rahul Gandhi, Pappu Yadav and Awadhesh Prasad,” he added.

BJP MLA Karnail Singh echoed, saying: “Our demand is that legal action should be taken against them. They have tried to defame Sanatan Dharma and attempted to push their political agenda under the garb of Sanatan Dharma.”

The complaint letter submitted to New Delhi DCP Sachin Sharma said: “The political skit and theatrical performance staged within the Parliament Complex subjected sacred Hindu religious symbols and practices to public ridicule and mockery. By employing revered religious imagery and symbolism in this manner, the demonstration was capable of conveying a disrespectful and derogatory portrayal of the Hindu faith, its traditions, and its devotees.”

The letter also said: “The demonstration conveys a message that Hindu priests, devotees of Lord Shri Ram and persons associated with Hindu religious traditions engage in grabbing or misappropriating donations offered by devotees for personal gain.”

“Such a portrayal gravely insults the religious beliefs of millions of Hindus who regard Lord Shri Ram, saffron attire, the religious tilak and charitable offerings made in temples as sacred. The deliberate use of these sacred symbols for political theatre has caused widespread hurt and outrage among members of the Hindu community,” the complainants said.

Similar complaints were filed against Pappu Yadav at the national capital’s Jahangirpuri Police Station on Friday and by seers and lawyers in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi on Saturday, accusing him of “insulting the Sanatan Dharma” during Friday’s protest.

IANS