BJP, which has attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has asked the CM to sack Rajendra Pal Gautam after video of incident went viral.
One day prior to Dussehra, a "religious conversion" event was held at Dr. B. R. Amedkar Bhavan in New Delhi which was attended by Aam Aadmi Party leader Rajendra Pal Gautam. A political controversy started on Friday as a result of a social media post with hundreds of people taking an oath to denounce Hindu deities. The BJP, which has attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has asked the CM to sack a cabinet member.
Know all about AAP minister Rajendra Pal Gautam
Rajendra Pal Gautam serves as the minister of social welfare, SC & ST, water, gurudwara elections, and cooperative societies registration. In the 2015 Delhi Legislative Assembly Elections, he was elected as an MLA from the Seemapuri constituency after joining the party in 2014.
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The Ghonda region of Delhi's northeastern district is where Rajendra Pal Gautam was born. Along with receiving a law degree from the University of Delhi, he worked to prevent youth addiction and provide free education to roughly 450 children from low-income households.
In 1987, he joined Baba Saheb Ambedkar's Samata Sainik Dal and began to fight for the rights of Dalits and other members of the backward community throughout the entire nation. The government presented the Samata Sainik Dal with the Dr. Ambedkar Ratna Award in 2001.
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What was the event?
Around 10,000 people are said to have pledged throughout the programme to quit their worship of Hindu gods and convert to Buddhism in order to follow Lord Buddha's teachings. On October 5, Gautam himself had also tweeted images from the occasion, claiming that over 10,000 individuals had made commitments to practise Buddhism and work toward abolishing casteism and untouchability in India.
"I shall have no faith in Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara, nor shall I worship them. I shall have no faith in Rama and Krishna who are believed to be the incarnation of God nor shall I worship them," Delhi minister allegedly said in a video shared by the BJP.
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According to News18, AAP minister stated that it event was hosted by Bhuddhist Society of India and it has nothing to do with politics. "BJP is anti-national. I have faith in Buddhism, why does anyone have trouble with it? Let them complain. Constitution gives us the freedom to follow any religion. BJP is afraid of AAP. They can only lodge fake cases against us," Rajendra told media.
BJP took shot at AAP: ‘Hindu Virodhi Party’
The remarks made by AAP MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam provoked the outrage of numerous BJP officials. "This has not happened for the first time. I want to Delhi CM and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal stands on this issue where his minister was seen at an event where Hindus were converted to Buddhism," BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana said.
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Adesh Gupta, the head of the Delhi BJP, accused Gautam of displaying "disrespect" for Hindu deities during a Dussehra programme at Central Delhi's Karol Bagh in front of a large crowd. "This is not an isolated incident, it is in the character of the AAP to insult and disrespect Hindu gods and goddesses. We demand that Kejriwal should immediately expel Gautam from his cabinet," Gupta said.
Gupta also led a party delegation to file a complaint with the police here in the matter. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari also demanded Gautam's sacking, claiming his action could lead to animosity between Hindu and Buddhist communities. Hitting out at Gautam, West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma accused him of indulging in "mass religious conversion".
(With inputs from PTI)
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