Assam CM and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma Wednesday (October 18), tore into the Congress Party saying the grand old party should not teach secularism to the BJP. Addressing a rally in Kawardha Assembly in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, the Assam CM said that building a masjid for Babar after demolishing the Ram temple is not secularism.
हम हिंदू हैं। हमें secularism का पाठ मत पढ़ाइये l pic.twitter.com/OoLvivQDFN
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 19, 2023
“Hindus respect all but we will not allow some Babar to capture our Mandir in the name of Secularism. Bharat was Hindu Rashtra and will remain Hindu Rashtra,” said Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Further alleging that incidents of love jihad and religious conversions were on the rise in the Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh, the Assam CM said that love jihad, conversion and murder of Hindus cannot be justified under the garb of secularism. He further warned that such issues will advance if Congress is brought back to power in Chhattisgarh.
“Love Jihad started during the Congress rule in the country. Tribals in Assam and Chhattisgarh are encouraged daily to get converted (to Christianity). When people raise voices against the act (in Chhattisgarh), Bhupesh Baghel says he is secular,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
“Is killing Hindus your concept of secularism? This country belongs to Hindus and it will continue to be of Hindus. Do not teach us the language of secularism. Building a masjid for Babar after demolishing the Ram temple is not called secularism” Sarma said, blasting the Congress party for its appeasement policies.
“Religious conversion is not called secularism. Handing over the land of Mata Kaushalya to Akbar is not secularism. Our concept of secularism has been given by Baba Saheb Ambedkar and our Hindu culture. We know its concept. Secularism does not mean love jihad,” he said.
According to the BJP leader, he encourages Muslims in Assam to marry members of their own community because, if they marry Hindu women what would happen to Muslim women?
Further emphasising the communal bias of the grand old party, the Assam CM said that he recently said in Rajasthan that the Ashok Gehlot government did not do anything after the murder of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal and if something like that had happened in the eastern state there would have been “retaliation within five minutes”.
“If a similar incident had happened in any of the BJP-ruled states, the government concerned would have settled everything within five minutes. But the Congress does not do anything and keeps on ranting about secularism. Is secularism only for looting Hindus,” he said.
Further slamming the Congress for worshipping Babar (a reference to Muslim invaders) and failing to take action to erect the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “We had said that we would build Ram temple after coming to power (at the Centre) and in January the temple construction will be completed… Congress remained in power for 60 years but they did nothing to build Ram temple as they always worshipped Babar.”
“These people belong to Babar, not to Lord Sri Ram. Those who belong to Lord Shri Ram, they fulfil their promises. Modi fulfilled all his promises made to the people,” he added.
Sarma urged people to vote for BJP nominee Vijay Sharma and “bid farewell to Akbar to save Chhattisgarh from love jihad and religious conversion”.
Notably, the rally was held ahead of the filing of the nomination of BJP candidate Vijay Sharma in Kawardha. Congress has re-nominated its senior leader and state minister Mohammad Akbar from the Kawardha seat. Congress-governed Chhattisgarh will go to polls in two phases on November 7 and 17. Counting of votes will done on December 3.
