On Wednesday, November 16, 2022, former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath sparked controversy after he cut a ‘temple-shaped’ cake during his birthday celebrations.
The video of Kamal Nath cutting a four-tier cake with an image of Lord Hanuman and a saffron flag on top went viral on social media drawing strong reactions online as well as from several political leaders.
When asked about the controversy, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “These people have nothing to do with God’s Bhakti, this (Congress) is the same party that opposed the construction of Ram Mandir. Now when they saw that due to this they lose votes, they started remembering Hanuman Ji. Who draws Hanuman Ji on a cake, and then cuts it? Isn’t this an insult to the Sanatan traditions? This is an insult of Hindu Dharma and it is unacceptable.”
CM Chouhan also took to Twitter to slam the Congress party over the issue and wrote, “Congressis have nothing to do with devotion to God. His party used to oppose the Shri Ram temple. There is Hanuman Ji’s image on a cake and still, you are cutting the cake. This is an insult to Sanatan tradition and Hindu religion, which our society will not accept.”
कांग्रेसियों का भगवान की भक्ति से कोई लेना-देना ही नहीं है, यह बगुला भगत हैं। इनकी पार्टी कभी श्रीराम मंदिर का विरोध करती थी।
— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) November 16, 2022
आप केक पर बना हनुमान जी रहे हैं और फिर केक काट भी रहे हैं। यह सनातन परंपरा और हिंदू धर्म का अपमान है, जिसको यह समाज स्वीकार नहीं करेगा। pic.twitter.com/iN97G9CbtM
BJP leader Amit Malviya also chastised Kamal Nath saying that during elections Kamal Nath claimed to be a Hanuman bhakt (devotee of Lord Hanuman) and is now insulting Hindus and their deity.
“Former MP CM and senior Congress leader Kamalnath, runs a knife through a four-tiered, temple-shaped cake, with a saffron flag and image of lord Hanuman on top. During elections he had claimed to be Hanuman bhakt and is now insulting crores of Hindus by denigrating their deity…,” Malviya tweeted.
Former MP CM and senior Congress leader Kamalnath, runs a knife through a four tiered, temple shaped cake, with a saffron flag and image of lord Hanuman on top. During elections he had claimed to be Hanuman bhakt and is now insulting crores of Hindus by denigrating their deity… pic.twitter.com/s4hNMII0iV
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) November 17, 2022
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala also lambasted Congress and Kamal Nath and tweeted, “Congress is essentially anti-Hindu hence from Hindu terror to Hindutva is ISIS to equating Gita To Jihad or Jarkiholi insulting Hindus to now Kamalnath ji cutting a cake with Mandir & Hanuman ji on it! They are Chunavi Hindus & leave no opportunity to insult Hindus!.”
Congress is essentially anti Hindu hence from Hindu terror to Hindutva is ISIS to equating Gita To Jihad or Jarkiholi insulting Hindus to now Kamalnath ji cutting a cake with Mandir & Hanuman ji on it ! They are Chunavi Hindus & leave no opportunity to insult Hindus ! pic.twitter.com/z3Go60vFGz
— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) November 17, 2022
Not just BJP leaders, several netizens also called out Kamal Nath and the Congress party over the controversial video. A Twitter user named Kavita shared the video and wrote, “Kamal Nath cuts a cake in the shape of a Mandir with Hanuman ji on top of the cake. This party never leaves an opportunity to insult Hinduism. Never.”
Kamal Nath cuts a cake in the shape of a Mandir with Hanuman ji on top of the cake. This party never leaves an opportunity to insult Hinduism. Never. pic.twitter.com/UPxSXzAYKo
— Kavita (@Sassy_Hindu) November 17, 2022
Another Twitter user, Amit wrote, “Cut cake, not temple. I don’t understand why is this deliberately done.”
केक काटो, मंदिर नहीं। मंदिर की जगह कुछ और भी हो सकता था।
— Ashish Verma (@Ashishverma0305) November 16, 2022
समझ नहीं आता ये जानबूझकर क्यों किया जाता है।#cake #kamalnath #MadhyaPradesh pic.twitter.com/h0daoXwzfw
Notably, supporters of Kamal Nath decided to celebrate his birthday, which falls on November 18, in advance during his three-day visit to his hometown Chhindwara. On Tuesday evening, a celebration was held at the former chief minister’s residence where the cake-cutting took place.
