An unholy row erupted on Monday when Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders for taking a holy dip at the ongoing Mahakumbh.

Targetting the BJP including Home Minister Shah, Congress president Kharge said that Shah’s “dip in Ganga won’t remove poverty” in the country.

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Retaliating to the attack of the Congress, BJP leader Sambit Patra asked whether the Congress can say this about any other religion.

Condemning the opposition party, he said this hatred of the Congress towards the ‘Sanatan pride, Maha Kumbh festival’ is an attack on the faith of millions of Hindus.

Addressing the ‘Jai – Bapu – Jai Bhim – Jai Samvidhaan’ rally at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, Kharge said, “They (BJP and RSS) were with the British. They are ‘deshdrohi’ (traitors).”

He asserted that the Congress would never allow the BJP and RSS to exploit the poor and backwards of the country in the name of religion.

The Congress president urged all those present at the mega rally that if they want to free themselves from poverty, unemployment and other problems, then they must resolve to save the Constitution.

Kharge said in his speech that he has no intention to hurt anybody’s ‘aastha’ (belief), but he also maintained at the same time that such acts would not help in solving the country’s problems.

Launching a massive critique against the BJP, the Congress chief said leaders of the saffron party were “competing with each other to take the dip in the Ganga river for the sake of cameras.”

Addressing reporters at the party headquarters in Delhi, Patra said, ”Such words and statements against Sanatan Dharma are condemnable. The Congress party should clarify on this. This is the same Kharge who had said that if we come to power, we will destroy Sanatan.”

He said while the whole world is talking about the Mahakumbh, India’s biggest Opposition party is negating it.

”Crores of people are pained to hear the statement made by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Mahakumbh. He said- ‘Will poverty be eliminated by taking the holy dip river Ganga? Will people get employment?’…Can Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress party, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi say the same for any other religion? Such statements against Sanatan Dharma are shameful.

”Can Congress party give the same shameful statement for Iftar party and Haj pilgrimage?” he asked.

He further stressed that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress should explain their anti-Sanatan thinking. ”Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi should apologise to every person who has faith in Sanatan Dharma and the entire nation,” he demanded.

Patra said, ”Rahul Gandhi ji, you can go abroad and take a dip in the swimming pool, we have no objection. But do not make fun of the Sangam bath and the dip in the Ganga.”

Union Home Minister Shah, with his family members, took a dip in the Triveni Sangam at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh.

Shah also performed ‘jal aachman’ (sipping of holy water) and offered water to the Sun besides performing other rituals under guidance of some top seers. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, present along with the seers, also entered the holy waters with Shah.