New Delhi [India], August 3 (ANI): Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Ram Gopal Yadav on Monday questioned the FIR registered against opposition leaders, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Independent MP Pappu Yadav, and Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad over alleged insults to Sanatan Dharma, alleging that the government focuses on “creating narratives and shifting the blame onto others”.
“That was wrong, because the saints have absolutely no connection to the theft that occurred at the Ram Mandir. So, fundamentally, it was a wrong act; it should not have happened. If the government itself fails to engage in constructive work, then there is no scope for creative expression to emerge. Instead, they focus on creating a narrative, figuring out how to twist the facts and shift the blame onto others. They are experts at this,” Yadav told ANI.
The remarks came after Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar questioned SP’s stance on the ‘Ram Mandir skit’ incident in Parliament complex, pointing to remarks by SP MP Rajiv Rai, Pawan Pandey, and Awadhesh Prasad.
In an X post, Rajbhar asked whether the party’s official line is dictated by factional loyalties or an appeasement strategy designed to cater to specific vote banks.
“Akhilesh ji, a straight question today. What is SP’s stand on the Pappu Yadav incident/misdeed in Parliament?? Your MP Rajiv Rai ji said– The protest wasn’t ours. Pappu ji forced his way in. Just like Rajiv Rai ji forced his way in to grab someone’s land. Pawan Pandey ji said– Pappu Yadav did wrong. Just like how, after hating Ram Mandir all his life, he turned into a seasonal Hindu over the offering theft. Avdhesh Prasad ji said, whether the drama was right or wrong– the public will decide. Just like how it will decide to teach you a lesson next year. Or, after getting a call from Lalu’s camp in Bihar, are you shamelessly defending Pappu Yadav? SP’s line– is it Rajiv Rai’s line, Pawan Pandey’s line, Avdhesh Prasad ji’s line, or is the Yadavism with which you’re defending Pappu Yadav’s nonsense in the name of caste love– that your line? Or is your line the same appeasement one, in which Hindu religious sentiments are mocked to loot votes from the bearded-cap-wearing class? In Twitter-AC-PC politics, you’ve even bid 51 thousand on Hanuman ji! From Delhi to Lucknow, what you’re doing is all visible. Haven’t learned anything from Congress. At least learn qawwali; it’ll come in handy after 2027. Jai Bharat, Jai Shri Ram, Jai Shri Krishna, Jai Maharaja Suhaldev,” he said.
As this happened, BJP Lok Sabha MP and Party Chief Whip Sanjay Jaiswal submitted a notice of Breach of Privilege and Contempt of the House to the Lok Sabha Speaker under Rules 222 and 223 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.
The motion targets Independent MP Pappu Yadav for conduct unbecoming of a member, citing an incident on July 31, where Yadav wore attire associated with a Hindu sadhu at Makar Dwar within the Parliament complex to allegedly ridicule religious sentiments and lower the dignity of the House.
This comes after Opposition MPs staged a skit inside the Parliament complex on July 31, using symbolic roles to raise allegations related to donations collected for the Ram Mandir.
During the performance, Pappu Yadav wore saffron robes and played the role of a temple priest, while other Opposition MPs enacted a scene involving a donation box and allegations of corruption.
Meanwhile, Mahant Sitaram Das also demanded legal action over the skit, saying MPs were elected to raise issues related to democracy and public concerns rather than create chaos or insult Sanatan Dharma.
“An FIR has been registered against all three individuals. I am fully confident that legally appropriate action must be taken against them. I want to ask: why can’t you adopt the persona of a Maulana? Why can’t you wear green clothes? Millions of rupees are embezzled in mosques and dargahs; embezzlement occurs in the Waqf Board–why don’t you adopt those personas instead of staging these dramas?” he said.
He added, “It is not some theatrical performance; it is Parliament House, where the public has sent you to raise issues of democracy and the voices of the people. They did not send you there to create chaos or defame Sanatan Dharma.” (ANI)
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