LUCKNOW: A day after his residence was stormed by the Karni Sena activists in Agra, Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Lal Suman, on Thursday, refused to apologise for his remarks on Rajput king Rana Sanga saying one could not deny history.
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party workers demonstrated against the attack on SP MP’s house while the Karni Sena activists continued their protests against Suman at different places in UP.
While talking on camera, Suman, during the ongoing parliament session, claimed that his house in Agra was attacked with the intention to harm his family.
The SP MP had recently kicked up a row by saying that Rana Sanga was a "traitor" who was responsible for bringing Babur to defeat Ibrahim Lodi.
Rana Sanga or Sangram Singh I was the ruler of Mewar from 1508 to 1528.
"I will not apologise in this life, I do not know about the next life," the SP MP said while talking to media persons. Explaining his stand on Rana Sanga, the SP MP said that the truth should be accepted.
“Babur was invited by Rana Sanga to defeat Ibrahim Lodi. He had the misconception that Babur was a robber, and that he would go back, and Rana Sanga would rule, but Babur declared himself the ruler of Hindustan and refused to leave,” said Suman.
Karni Sena chief Suraj Pal Singh Amu said the remarks insulted a hero who defeated the Mughals and demanded that Suman and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav tender an apology.
Scores of activists from Karni Sena vandalised the SP MP’s house located near Hariparvat Chauraha in Agra on Wednesday. Multiple cars parked outside the house were damaged, chairs were broken, and glass windows were shattered.
Videos showed a handful of police personnel confronting the mob as it went on a rampage in the posh neighbourhood. A policeman got injured. "I met the Rajya Sabah Chairman, informed him about the situation. I told him threats were being made since March 22 through social media, and yesterday they came to my house with a bulldozer," he said.
"There was a life-threatening attack, they broke all the glasses, destroying the cars in the colony... their intention was to destroy my family," he said.
Agra police lodged an FIR against an "unknown mob" on Thursday. The incident took place on the day Chief Minister Adityanath was in the city for a public event.
The SP MP, on March 21, had said in Rajya Sabha that Indian Muslims did not consider Babur their ideal. “They follow Muhammad Saheb and the Sufi tradition. However, I want to ask, who brought Babur here? It was Rana Sanga who invited Babur to defeat Ibrahim Lodhi. So, if that’s the case, then Hindus must be descendants of the traitor Sanga. We criticize Babur, but why do we not criticize Rana Sanga?,” the MP had asked the upper house.
In reaction to his tirade against Rana Sanga, the SP MP has been facing backlash from right-wing Hindu groups such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad and Karni Sena following his controversial statement referring to Rana Sanga as a “traitor.”
On the other hand, Agra Additional Superintendent of Police, Sanjeev Tyagi said that two FIRs were lodged in connection with the attack on SP MP’s house. A total of 33 persons had been taken into custody and strict action would be taken against all the troublemakers.
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party workers, on Thursday, protested against the attack on Ramji Lal Suman’s house in Agra. While party’s national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav called the attack on SP MP’s house a pre-planned conspiracy hatched with the support of district administration, SP MLA Shavpal Yadav attributed the attack on SP MPs’ house to alleged “BJP hooligans.”
“Ramji Lal Suman’s house was attacked as he hailed from the Dalit community,” said Yadav. On the other hand, the activists of Karni Sena also demonstrated against Suman at various places across UP. While getting a case registered against Suman in MP/MLA court of Varanasi, the Karni Sena activists burnt an effigy of the SP MP in Mathura on Thursday.