Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked BJP-RSS, claiming that they don’t chant ‘Jai Siya Ram’ or ‘Jai Sita Ram’ and instead opt for ‘Jai Sri Ram’ because women have no place in their organisation.
In a gathering at Agar during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi, whose party had questioned the existence of Lord Ram previously, co-opted ‘Jai Sri Ram’, ‘Jai Siya Ram’ and ‘Hey Ram’ and gave it his own spin to attack the BJP-RSS.
“What does ‘Jai Siya Ram’ mean? Jai Sita and Jai Ram, means Sita and Ram are the same. That’s why the slogan is Jai Siya Ram or Jai Sita Ram. Lord Ram fought for the honour of Sita Ji. We call ‘Jai Siya Ram’ and respect women like Sita in the society,” Gandhi said.
जय सियाराम ?? pic.twitter.com/2VbV5AGJom
— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) December 2, 2022
He further added, “…The people of RSS and BJP do not live life in the spirit in which Lord Ram lived his life. Ram didn’t do injustice to anyone. Ram did the work of uniting society. Ram gave respect to everyone. The people of RSS and BJP do not follow the way of life of Lord Ram. They cannot do Siya Ram and Sita Ram, because there is no woman in their organisation, so it is not the organisation of Jai Siya Ram, Sita cannot come into their organization, Sita has been thrown out.”
Just like most statements Rahul Gandhi makes, it doesn’t take too much of a search to recognise them as lies. Even though the Congress scion claimed BJP members never say Jai Siya Ram, a basic google search would have landed him at this video of PM Narendra Modi chanting Jai Siya Ram.
राम के नाम पर भी झूठ
— Political Kida (@PoliticalKida) December 2, 2022
RT MAX TO EXPOSE HIS LIES. pic.twitter.com/UYoztwd3dE
Sanskrit scholars and scriptures say ‘Jai Sri Ram’ and ‘Jai Siya Ram’ have the same meaning
Even as Gandhi co-opted ’Jai Siya Ram’ and ’Jai Sri Ram’ to attack RSS-BJP and tried to draw a distinction between the two, eminent Sanskrit scholars and authorities on scriptures have revealed that there is no difference between the two slogans.
Nityananda Misra, one of the foremost authorities on Sanskrit and Vedic scriptures, had in April this year tweeted that both ’Jai Shri Ram’ and ’Jai Shriram’ are correct and are used to hail both Goddess Sita and Lord Ram.
जय श्री राम (3 words) is correct in Hindi, but not in Sanskrit. It means “Hail to Shri (=Sita) and Rama”.
— Nityānanda Miśra (मिश्रोपाख्यो नित्यानन्दः) (@MisraNityanand) April 10, 2022
जय श्रीराम (2 words) is correct in both Hindi and Sanskrit. In Hindi, it means “Hail to Shrirama (=Rama with Sita)”. In Sanskrit, it means “O Shrirama! May you win/prevail”! https://t.co/sR0Llm21ew
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, has also, time and again, cleared misconceptions of ignorants who believe ’Jai Sri Ram’ and ’Jai Sita Ram’ mean two different things.
In 2019, the official Twitter account of ISKCON stated that both the slogans ’Jai Sri Ram’ and ’Jai Sita Ram’ mean the same and are sanctioned by the Shastras.
Both Jai Sri Ram & Jai Sita Ram mean the same & are authorised by the sastras
— Iskcon,Inc. (@IskconInc) June 4, 2019
According to Sanskrit Dictionary, “Sri” as a noun, means Srimati Radharani, Laxmidevi, Sita Mata , wealth, opulence, beauty, fame, knowledge, strength, any virtue or excellence etc. pic.twitter.com/K64YzDQKg4
“According to Sanskrit Dictionary, “Sri” as a noun, means Srimati Radharani, Laxmidevi, Sita Mata, wealth, opulence, beauty, fame, knowledge, strength, any virtue or excellence etc.,” ISKCON had tweeted.
Women’s representation in BJP-RSS
While Gandhi used the slogans chanted to hail Lord Ram and Goddess Sita for his attack against the RSS-BJP, his claim that women are absent from these organisations is misleading, given that many women are in the leadership positions in the BJP and the BJP-led central government, namely, Smriti Irani, Nirmala Sitharaman, Meenakshi Lekhi, and many others.
The RSS, too, has a dedicated women’s organisation, Rashtriya Sevika Samiti, a group that works for the betterment of women in the sectors of labour, agriculture and economy, among others. The RSS also have women in their national executive committees and as office bearers.
