The BJP and Congress in Madhya Pradesh have locked horns over the poll promise to ban the Bajrang Dal made by the grand old party in its manifesto almost 1,000 kilometres away in Karnataka.
State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Wednesday questioned MP Congress chief Kamal Nath’s stand on the promise in view of his avowed devotion to Lord Hanuman.
In his reply, Nath argued that anyone spreading hatred must face action.
Former MP CM and senior Congress Digvijaya Singh called the Bajrang Dal an organisation of goons while Chouhan declared the Bajrang Dal a ‘staunch nationalist organisation’.
The state CM said that the Congress is talking about banning the Bajrang Dal, which opposes terrorism and ‘love jihad’ while creating an atmosphere of patriotism. He expressed shock over the Congress comparing the Bajrang Dal with the banned Islamist organization ‘Popular Front of India’ (PFI).
Kamal Nath asserted that those who spread hatred and create controversies must face action, as this is a matter of concern for our social unity.
Congress’ Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh also jumped into the fray with a tweet, ‘Narendra Modi ji’s religion is Hindutva and not Hindu or Sanatan Dharm.’
‘As Savarkar ji has said ‘Hindutva has nothing to do with Hindu Religion’, Bajrang Dal has nothing to do with Lord Hanuman. It is an organization of goons,’ Digvijaya Singh further tweeted.
The Congress, in its election manifesto for the May 10 Karnataka State Assembly polls, has said it will take strict action as per law including imposing a ban on organisations like the Bajrang Dal and PFI, as they were promoting enmity among communities.