A day after PM Modi visited Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Mandir and offered prayers to Lord Ganesha as part of his day-long visit to Maharashtra’s Pune district, the Congress members and others who support the opposition alleged that the PM showed his back to Lord Ganesha during prayers. The netizens commented on the photo of PM Modi which went viral over social media in which the leader could be seen showing his back to Lord Ganesha. They alleged that PM Modi gave more importance to the camera than the deity, and therefore he turned his back on Lord Ganesh to face the camera.
Congress member from Rajasthan, Lokesh Sharma, commented on the photo saying that Lord Ganesha is behind the PM and the latter is showing his back to the deity. “Only Modi ji can do this,” he said indicating that the leader was showing disrespect to the Hindu God. Lokesh Sharma, who is the OSD to Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, made the comments while reacting to a tweet by union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw containing the image.
मगर प्रभु गणपति तो पीछे विराजे हैं..!!
— Lokesh Sharma (@_lokeshsharma) August 2, 2023
भगवान के आगे खड़े होकर इस तरह की तस्वीर सिर्फ मोदी जी की ही आ सकती है। https://t.co/w0aLfVPOn4
Serial fake-news leader and Youth Congress president Srinivas BV also posted the image, with a comment asking for opinions on the photo. Although he didn’t claim anything directly, his intention was clear.
इस तस्वीर के बारे में आपकी क्या राय है? pic.twitter.com/ENDNfigB19
— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) August 1, 2023
Y Sathish Reddy, a leader of the ruling BRS party in Telangana, made the same claim, telling the prime minister that “it is considered disrespectful to show our backs to our deities”. He asked, “Whom are you facing? Irony!”
Modi ji, it is considered disrespectful to show our backs to our deities.
— YSR (@ysathishreddy) August 1, 2023
Whom are you facing? Irony! pic.twitter.com/qcv8qIThkf
Further, several left-liberals also shared the image spreading misinformation against PM Modi. “Rare image of Ganesha in the backside of PM Modi. Camera man doing its job. Sorry Ganesha, you are ignored this time,” said Arunabh Hazarika who according to his twitter bio is former National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) which is student wing of the Indian National Congress.
Rare image of Ganesha in the backside of PM Modi.
— Arunabh Hazarika (@ArunabhHazarik1) August 2, 2023
Camera man doing its job 😉..
Sorry Ganesha, you are ignored this time 🙏😊 pic.twitter.com/GHsBD2RVb5
Also, one Congress supporter Mahiyar Sharma tweeted, “Lord Ganesha is on the other side, he has to bow down and not the camera. We never stand with our back towards God because it is disrespect to God. Yes, if Modi ji considers camera bigger than God and gives more importance to publicity than worship, then it is a different matter.”
Lord Ganesha is on the other side, he has to bow down and not the camera.
— Mahiyar sharma (@mahiyarsharma) August 2, 2023
we never stand with our back towards God because it is disrespect to God.
Yes, if Modi ji considers camera bigger than God and gives more importance to publicity than worship, then it is a different matter. https://t.co/t3g8woMeq3
What is the truth?
While the Congress members and leftists claimed that PM Modi disrespected Lord Ganesha and gave more importance to the camera, it was revealed that the image was captured as PM Narendra Modi offered Parikrama to the deity.
The full video of the incident went viral over the internet hours after the spread of negation by the leftists. The video showed that PM Modi offered prayers to the deity and then revolved on the spot to offer parikrama to Lord Ganesha after the prayers.
PM Modi was doing Parikrama.
— Ankur Singh (@iAnkurSingh) August 2, 2023
Stop misleading people for cheap attention, everyday. https://t.co/Qua4MmCE7A pic.twitter.com/8s9LzfhD6U
The viral photo was taken the moment the PM had completed half a Parikrama and was facing away from the deity. But he was not standing there as is being alleged, he was continuing with the Parikrama to face the deity again.
Significance of Parikrama
Paikrama is the action or ritual of moving clockwise around the deity as an indication of reverence. It is of most importance in Hinduism and is one of the ways to pay homage to the deity. Hindus do clockwise rotations of the sanctum sanctorum at temples and occasionally the deities during pujas or yajnas at home. It is believed that God is at the core of everything.
Hindus acknowledge that God is the centre of all their activities and thoughts when they perform Pradakshina, or circumambulation. No matter how far away the pradakshina is performed, the centre point is always fixed and stays the same. Thus, the everlasting reality that God is the source of all things and the focal point of our existence is brought to mind.
In Hinduism, the practice of showing back to the deity is also considered as omen. It is also indicative of disrespect towards the deity. The leftists assumed that PM Modi showed disrespect to the deity as he turned his back to Lord Dagdusheth in Pune on August 1. However, the full video of the incident was published later revealing that the leader was clicked while offering parikrama to the deity.
