Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge made a controversial statement during a rally in Chhattisgarh’s Jangir-Champa constituency. While promoting Congress candidate Shivakumar Dahariya, Kharge emphasised his name ‘Shiva’ and remarked that he could rightly compete with Ram.
“His name is Shiva and Kumar. He can give a tough fight to Ram because he is a Shiva. Even my name is Mallikarjun, which means Shiva,” Kharge said, a video of which has gone viral on the internet, with many raising questions over whether Congress intends to divide the Hindu votaries with Shiva and Ram reference.
It is worth noting that several senior Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, had declined an invitation to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Mandir organised on January 22, 2024.
The decision ignited a political firestorm, with the BJP accusing the main opposition party of standing against Lord Ram and the beliefs of millions. Congress had once even questioned the existence of Lord Ram. It had allied with the DMK in Tamil Nadu, a party whose leaders have often made hateful remarks against Sanatana Dharma, most notably Udhayanidhi Stalin, who had last year compared Sanatana Dharma to dengue and malaria that “need to be eradicated”.