Congress MLA Babu Jandel from Sheopur in Madhya Pradesh has been booked for using derogatory remarks against Lord Shiva and hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus.
A video of Jandel using abusive words for Lord Shiva had gone viral on the internet, following which Hindu advocacy groups, including VHP, protested against the leader whose party is infamous for questioning the existence of Lord Ram and ridiculing Hindu beliefs.
Vishva Hindu Parishad’s legal cell’s Malwa Prant (Indore-Ujjain division) convener and lawyer Anil Naidu filed a complaint against the Congress leader, after which the police registered an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 302 (intentionally hurting someone’s religious feelings).
Following a case against him, Jandel defended himself stating that an edited video was being circulated online to defame him and described himself as a ‘Shiv Bhakt’.
It is noteworthy to mention that this is not the first time that Congress has found itself in soup over unsavoury remarks by its leaders against Hindu Gods. The party courted controversy earlier this year after senior party leader Rahul Gandhi contentiously proclaimed that he is “fighting against Shakti” while himself admitting that it finds reference in Hinduism.
Earlier in September 2022, Rahul Gandhi let away a Catholic pastor George Ponnaiah denigrating the revered Hindu feminine ‘Shakti’ as anything but “real God”, a definition which seemingly influenced the Gandhi scion as reflected in his clarification post on ‘Shakti’ remark.
