BJP promoting communalism agenda: Congress on Dilip Ghosh controversy

Mumbai/Lucknow, [India], Apr 24 (ANI): Reacting sharply to West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Dilip Ghosh's controversial remark, Congress on Monday accused the saffron party of trying to promote its communalism agenda everywhere, adding that the ruling dispensation is threatening people and inciting Hindus in the name of 'Ram'. "BJP is promoting its communalism agenda everywhere. They want to do politics by creating conflicts among people, threatening people and inciting Hindus. They don't have any agenda on development and whatever they talk about development is all rubbish," Congress leader Hussain Dalwai told ANI. Further condemning Ghosh's remark, another Congress leader Surendra Rajput said that the former is making such statement to simply get publicity on television. "There are some leaders who want to come on television by making such statements. So it is not even worth to comment on his remark. This is condemnable that BJP leaders are trying to threaten people in the name of slogans. We will oppose this," he told ANI. While addressing a public meeting in West Bengal on Saturday, Ghosh said that those opposing the chants of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Jai Sri Ram" in the country will be relegated to history. "A leader like Narendra Modi has the capacity to take such decisions in this platform. If anyone restricts he will be thrown out from here. From Gujarat to Guwahati and from Kashmir to Kanyakumari everyone has to utter Bharat Mata ki jai and Jai Sri Ram and the one who would oppose this has to be a part of history," Ghosh said. However, he later gave a clarification on his statement saying that the TMC-ruled state's situation is worrisome as the people are not allowed to perform rituals rather slogans in support of Pakistan can be heard aloud. "This is not a controversy. The situation in Bengal is worrisome. Chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' is not allowed anymore and on the eve of Ram Navami the processions are being stopped. So, now in India you cannot say 'Jai Shri Ram' but say 'Pakistan Zindabad' aloud. Therefore, in this regard I made that statement," Ghosh told ANI. He further said the Congress will witness the same fate as that of the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), who have become history in Indian politics. "I said those who will not chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Jai Shri Ram', they will become history or such parties will become history. During the festivals, permissions are not being granted to follow the rituals and cases are being filed against those who continue to do so," Ghosh added. (ANI)