BJP criticises NCP-SCP over Jitendra Awhad's controversial remarks on Sanatan Dharma
Such comments attack the very fabric of Indian civilisation, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said at a press conference here, and questioned whether such a position reflected the official stance of the NCP-SCP.
Patra commented, 'We are a tolerant society, and that is precisely why we are expressing our protest through a press conference. Had such a statement been made about Islam and Muslims, the response would not have been as restrained.'
Patra also directed pointed questions at NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar and party MP Supriya Sule, asking whether Awhad's controversial remarks represented the party's official ideology or were merely his personal views.
'He has spoken against the core values of India. I would like to ask Sharad Pawar and his daughter, Supriya Sule, if they endorse this statement,' he said.
Patra further observed, 'nowhere else in the world do we see a situation where the majority population is openly accused and then simultaneously labelled as intolerant.'
Awhad had sparked a controversy after stating that Sanatan Dharma had 'ruined India' and terming its ideology as 'perverted.'
His remarks came in the aftermath of a special NIA court acquitting all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case — a development that has reignited political discourse surrounding the notion of 'saffron terror.'
It may be mentioned that, at a public interaction, Awhad had asserted that Sanatan Dharma had historically marginalised key figures of social reform.
'There was never any religion called Sanatan Dharma. We are followers of Hindu Dharma. This so-called Sanatan Dharma denied Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj his coronation and defamed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Its followers attempted to assassinate Jyotirao Phule and humiliated Savitribai Phule,' he said.
The BJP leader also referred to Dr. BR Ambedkar's criticism of the Manusmriti and the caste-based oppression allegedly embedded in Sanatan Dharma. 'It was this same tradition that denied Ambedkar the right to education and even access to water. It was Babasaheb who rose against Sanatan Dharma, burned the Manusmriti, and rejected its oppressive traditions,' Awhad said.
The BJP has called for a clarification from the NCP-SCP leadership, maintaining that such remarks are inflammatory and disregard the sentiments of the Hindu majority. UNI AJ AKT SSP
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