The row over the Congress party’s promise to ban Bajrang Dal in its manifesto for the upcoming Karnataka elections does not seem to end anytime soon. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has now announced that the party will recite Hanuman Chalisa across Karnataka on Thursday at 7 pm.
Speaking about the same, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje said that “Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said that the BJP does not know how to recite Hanuman Chalisa, so here is an invitation to him to come, see and listen how we recite the Hanuman Chalisa.”
Karandlaje also urged the people of the state to join the Hanuman Chalisa recitation programs held by the BJP across the state.
Notably, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala had recently said that the “BJP and its friends do not how to read the Hanuman Chalisa, they only know how to take 40 percent commission.”
BJP and Modi don't know how to read "Hanuman Chalisa", they know only how to take 40% Commission. pic.twitter.com/IqRhnDmj9m
— Shantanu (@shaandelhite) May 3, 2023
The political war of words erupted after the Congress party released its election manifesto on May 2 in which it promised to ban Bajrang Dal and also equated the Hindu group with the banned Islamist outfit PFI.
“We believe that law and Constitution are sacrosanct and can not be violated by individuals and Organisations like Bajrang Dal, PFI, or others promoting enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities. We will take decisive action as per law including imposing a ban on any such organisations,” read the party manifesto.
The move was met with severe criticism and backlash. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also slammed the Congress party for promising to ban the Hindu outfit in its manifesto. Addressing a rally in Karnataka’s Vijayanagara PM Modi said that the Congress earlier had a problem with those who chanted the name of Lord Ram and now they have decided to lock those who chant “Jai Bajrang Bali” in an obvious reference to the members of the Bajrang Dal.
Interestingly, on Wednesday, May 3, Karnataka Congress leader and former chief minister M. Veerappa Moily in an apparent damage control move said that it is not possible for the state government to ban Bajrang Dal, adding that there is no proposal to ban the group.
“We have PFI and Bajrang Dal mentioned in our (Congress) manifesto and included all radical outfits. However, banning an outfit is not possible for the state government as it is the central government’s jurisdiction. So a ban on Bajrang Dal by the Karnataka government is not possible. DK Shivakumar will come up with more clarity on this,” Moily said while addressing the media in Udupi.
