BHOPAL: A political controversy has erupted in Madhya Pradesh over the state Congress president Kamal Nath's statement, "I'm proud to be a Hindu, but am not a fool."
The ex MP CM and former union minister made the statement reportedly while addressing a state level advocates meeting in the state party headquarters on Sunday, a day before senior Supreme Court advocate Vivek Tankha filed his nomination papers for re-election to the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
"I say with pride that I'm a Hindu, but I'm not a fool. For us religion isn't the basis of politics, but is linked to our sentiments. We dont make political event out of religion, as it's an event only for our individual families," Nath had reportedly said on Sunday.
He also recounted that when he built the Hanuman Temple housing giant Hanuman idol in his parliamentary and assembly constituency Chhindwara some years back, he did not publicise it as a political event.
However, Nath's statement was enough to give the ruling BJP the much needed ammo to target state Congress leadership over the issue.
"Neither the BJP nor the state government has ever considered him (Nath) a fool. May be it's due to internal issues within his own party, that he(Nath) has made the unwanted statement. All we can say is that the forum he chose to explain about being a Hindu wasn't appropriate. Be it Kamal Nath or Rahul Gandhi, they're just Chunavi Hindus (Hindus at times of polls) who wear a janeyu or sport a tilak only at times of polls," state's home minister Narottam Mishra said.
"Kamal Nath is an Ichchadhari Hindu (wishful Hindu), who remains silent over the issue of Ram Setu, goes silent when his friend (Digvijaya Singh) questions the date of foundation of Ram Temple at Ayodhya, is in silence on 1984 genocide of Sikhs, conviction and punishment to Yasin Malik and also mute over the Gyanwapi-Kashi Vishwanath issue," Mishra, also the state government spokesperson said.
However, defending his leader's controversial statement, the state Congress spokesperson Ajay Singh Yadav said, "it's not a matter of being a smaller or bigger Hindu. By his statements, our leader meant to convey that it's the BJP which by linking religion with politics is fooling people."
Yadav also questioned that if the BJP is so committed to Hinduism, why did induct ex SP MP Naresh Agrawal (who in 2017 linked alcohol with Hindu gods and goddesses) in its ranks in UP.
Amid the war of words between the Congress and BJP over Nath's "proud to be Hindu, but not a fool" statement, the ruling BJP seems to have found a way out of the attack on the state government by Nath and his party over OBC reservation in upcoming local bodies polls in the state.