The BJP launched an all-out attack on INDIA over a statement of MP A Raja of the DMK, a constituent of the Opposition bloc, in which he publicly abused Hindu gods and derided Lord Ram while questioning the idea of India.

Addressing a press conference at party headquarters here, senior BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad said, “It is evident that insulting India’s ethos, publicly humiliating Hindu gods, and questioning the very idea of India has become the hallmark of the political agenda of the INDI Alliance… ”

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Ravishankar Prasad pulled up the Congress for its diplomatic silence over the intemperate remarks made by the DMK leader not only against a community but the nation as a whole. ”Congress always backs down whenever one of their allies slams Bharat’s culture, languages and practices…,” he observed.

The BJP leader wondered if the Congress, which is a national party, could stoop so low as to tolerate such nonsense for petty political gains.

Raja, who was accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case as a former Union minister, during a speech, had said he refuses to accept India as a nation.

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya posted the video of the controversial speech in Tamil with English subtitles. The video clip shows A Raja saying, “India is not a nation. Understand this well. India is never a nation. One nation means one language, one tradition, and one culture. Then only it is one nation. India is not a nation but a subcontinent. What’s the reason? Here, Tamil is one nation and one country. Malayalam is one language, one nation, and one country. Oriya is a nation, a language, and a country. All these nations make up India. So, India is not a country, it is a subcontinent. There are so many traditions and cultures. If you come to Tamil Nadu, there’s a culture. In Kerala, there’s another culture…….”

Slamming the INDIA bloc, Prasad contended that A Raja’s utterances reflect the language of a Maoist. ”India that is Bharat… It is written in our Constitution,” he asserted quoting preamble of the Constitution.

“…He (A Raja) said that we will never accept ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’…Do Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge agree with this, ” The BJP leader asked.

Prasad wondered if the Dravidian party could use the same language against other religious sects. ”Will DMK use such derogatory comments against deities of other religions? We respect all religions…,” he said.

A fresh row erupted over the statement of A Raja a day after the Supreme Court made damning observations on another DMK leader, Udhayanidhi Stalin’s contentious ‘Sanatan Dharma’ remarks.

BJP IT cell chief Malviya, in his tweet, also said, “Hate speeches from DMK’s stable continue unabated. After Udhayanidhi Stalin’s call to annihilate Sanatan Dharma, it is now A Raja who calls for balkanization of India, derides Bhagwan Ram, makes disparaging comments on Manipuris and questions the idea of India, as a nation.”