Samajwadi Party leader Rajkumar Bhati, infamous for his anti-Hindu commentaries, has sparked a fresh controversy. On the 20th of October 2026, Rajkumar Bhati attended an event near Rani Jhansi Marg in Delhi, marking the neo-Buddhist ‘Ashok Vijayadashami’, which mimics the Hindu festival Vijayadashami or Dussehra. During the event, Rajkumar Bhati took 22 vows of Ambedkar, including those about promising to stop worshipping Hindu deities: Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, and converting to Buddhism.
Video showing Rajkumar Bhati taking vows disowning Hindu gods goes viral, triggers speculations of his conversion to Buddhism
A video showing Samajwadi Party leader Rajkumar Bhati raising his hand and taking the 22 vows on stage at the Ashok Vijayadashami event has gone viral online. Bhati can be heard declaring, “I will not have any faith in Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh, and shall not worship them”, in addition to other Hinduphobic declarations.
Delhi में फिर दोहराई 22 प्रतिज्ञाएं !! Raj Kumar Bhati Ashok Vijayadashami Bahujan Dastak Tv #AshokaVijayadashami #JaiBhim #ambedkar #BreakingNews #22Pritigya https://t.co/qleltUtHRp
— Bahujan Dastak Tv (@BahujanDastakTv) October 20, 2026
In no time, a political and online outrage erupted over the Samajwadi Party leader openly “denouncing” and disparaging Hinduism before supposedly converting to Buddhism.
In a longer video, Bhati can be heard expressing his disdain for Hinduism in an elaborate fashion.
भरे मंच से 22 प्रतिज्ञाएं लेते ही मचा बड़ा बवाल सुने आखिर क्या कहा। RajKumar Bhati Bahujan Dastak Tv #JaiBhim #ashokvijaydashmi #Ambedkar #BreakingNews #rajkumarbhati https://t.co/3IpuYgD2rw
— Bahujan Dastak Tv (@BahujanDastakTv) October 21, 2026
SP leader Rajkumar Bhati says he has not converted to Buddhism, blames BJP IT Cell and ‘andhbhakts’
As Uttar Pradesh is just months away from state assembly elections, Samajwadi Party is giving its best shot to appease Hindus besides continuing its Muslim appeasement. In such a case, a Samajwadi Party leader coming across as an outright Hinduphobe out send out an unfavourable message to the Hindu populace.
Thus, Rajkumar Bhati quickly turned on his salvaging mode. On 21st October, Bhati issued a video message, in which he claims to have attended the Ashok Vijayadashami event wherein he took vows to stop worshipping Hindu deities, just as he would attend a Gurudwara, or programs of any other religion he is invited to.
The Samajwadi Party gave a political spin to the issue and claimed that it was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT Cell and ‘andhbhakts’ who circulated the claims online that he has denounced Hinduism and converted to Buddhism.
Quite conveniently, Rajkumar Bhati made no mention of or gave clarifications regarding him taking vows to disown and discontinue worship of Hindu gods.
“Yesterday, on 20 October, I participated as the chief guest in a program organised by the Indian Buddhist Assembly at Ambedkar Bhawan located on Rani Jhansi Marg in Delhi. As a true socialist, I respect every religion, caste, class, and community, and I join any event where I am invited with honour. I also visit the Gurdwara on the invitation of Sikh brothers to pay obeisance to Guru Granth Sahib. I participate in their majlis on the invitation of Muslim brothers as well. I take part in the festivals and observances of Hinduism too,” Bhati said.
“I have a special attraction toward Buddhism and the teachings of Gautam Buddha, and I hold them in great respect. The ideas of Baba Saheb also have a profound influence on me. However, after yesterday’s program, the BJP IT Cell and andhbhakts have launched a smear campaign against me on social media, claiming that I have abandoned Hinduism and converted to another religion. While fully supporting the education of Baba Saheb and the precepts taught by Gautam Buddha, I hold the deep conviction that I have neither any need nor any intention to convert religions,” the Samajwadi Party spokesperson added.
“We can serve humanity while remaining in any religion and speak out against discrimination, untouchability, hatred, superstition, and hypocrisy. Please do not get trapped in the BJP IT Cell’s malicious propaganda and harbour any misunderstanding. Thank you. Jai Bhim. Namo Buddhay,” he continued.
कल 20 अक्टूबर को दिल्ली के रानी झांसी मार्ग स्थित अंबेडकर भवन में भारतीय बौद्ध महासभा द्वारा आयोजित कार्यक्रम में मैं मुख्य अतिथि के तौर पर सम्मिलित हुआ था । एक सच्चा समाजवादी होने के नाते मैं प्रत्येक धर्म, जाति, वर्ग और समुदाय का सम्मान करता हूं और जो भी अपने कार्यक्रम में सम्मान के साथ आमंत्रित करता है उसमें सम्मिलित होता हूं । मैं सिख भाइयों के बुलावे पर गुरुद्वारे में गुरु ग्रंथ साहब को मत्था टेक कर भी आता हूं । मुस्लिम भाइयों के बुलावे पर उनकी मजलिस में भी शामिल होता हूं । हिंदू धर्म के तीज-त्योहारों में भी सम्मिलित होता हूं । बौद्ध धर्म और गौतम बुद्ध की शिक्षाओं के प्रति मेरा विशेष आकर्षण है और मैं उनका बहुत सम्मान करता हूं । बाबा साहब के विचारों का भी मेरे ऊपर गहरा प्रभाव है । लेकिन कल के कार्यक्रम के बाद बीजेपी आईटी सेल और अंधभक्त कट्टर वादियों ने सोशल मीडिया पर मेरे प्रति दुष्प्रचार कर रखा है कि मैंने हिंदू धर्म त्याग दिया है और धर्म परिवर्तन कर लिया है । मैं बाबा साहब की शिक्षा और गौतम बुद्ध के बताये उपदेशों का भरपूर समर्थन करते हुए यह गहरा विश्वास रखता हूं कि मुझे धर्म परिवर्तन करने की ना तो कोई आवश्यकता है ना ऐसा मेरा कोई इरादा है । हम किसी भी धर्म में रहकर मानवता की सेवा कर सकते हैं और भेदभाव, छुआछूत, घृणा, अंधविश्वास और पाखंड के खिलाफ बोल सकते हैं । कृपया भाजपा आईटी सेल के दुष्प्रचार में न फंसे और कोई गलतफहमी न पालें धन्यवाद । जय भीम । नमो बुद्धाय ।
— Rajkumar Bhati (@rajkumarbhatisp) October 21, 2026
Predictably, Rajkumar Bhati is now receiving flak from both Hindus and neo-Buddhists. While Hindus are criticising him for disrespecting Hindu gods and taking oath to denounce them without formally converting to Buddhism, neo-Buddhists and self-declared Ambedkarites are accusing him of insulting Ambedkar’s 22 vows.
It is notable that one of the 22 vows clearly says that the person taking the oath proclaims that Buddhism is his/her religion and that Hinduism is “enemy of humanity”.
What are the 22 vows of Ambedkar, and what is Ashok Vijayadashami
Before delving into what the controversial 22 vows taken by neo-Buddhists annually on Dussehra are, it is important to understand the concept of Ashok Vijayadashami and its Ambedkar connection.
On the 14th of October 1956, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar converted from Hinduism to Buddhism. His supposed conversion happened on the occasion of Vijayadashami or Dussehra. It is also believed by Buddhists that this date is associated with Emperor Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism.
The day is also known as the Great Conversion or Mass Conversion or Dhamma Deeksha. Around 3,80,000 people belonging to so-called ‘lower castes’ among Hindus converted to Buddhism on that day in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
Since then, the day has been celebrated as Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din.
During this conversion to Buddhism, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar took 22 vows.
In these vows, Ambedkar promised to have no faith in the Hindu belief system and vowed to disown any religions or religious practices linked to Tridev, Ram, Krishna, and other Hindu Gods and Goddesses.
The vows read:
- I shall have no faith in Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara, nor shall I worship them.
- I shall have no faith in Rama and Krishna who are believed to be the incarnation of God, nor shall I worship them.
- I shall have no faith in ‘Gauri’, Ganapati and other gods and goddesses of Hindus, nor shall I worship them.
- I do not believe in the incarnation of God.
- I do not and shall not believe that Lord Buddha was the incarnation of Vishnu. I believe this to be sheer madness and false propaganda.
- I shall not perform ‘Shraddha’ nor shall I give ‘pind-dan’.
- I shall not act in a manner violating the principles and teachings of the Buddha.
- I shall not allow any ceremonies to be performed by Brahmins.
- I shall believe in the equality of man.
- I shall endeavour to establish equality.
- I shall follow the ‘noble eightfold path’ of the Buddha.
- I shall follow the ‘paramitas’ prescribed by the Buddha.
- I shall have compassion and loving-kindness for all living beings and protect them.
- I shall not steal.
- I shall not tell lies.
- I shall not commit carnal sins.
- I shall not take intoxicants like liquor, drugs etc.
- I shall endeavour to follow the noble eightfold path and practice compassion and loving-kindness in everyday life.
- I renounce Hinduism, which is harmful to humanity and impedes the advancement and development of humanity because it is based on inequality and adopt Buddhism as my religion.
- I firmly believe the Dhamma of the Buddha is the only true religion.
- I believe that I am having a rebirth.
- I solemnly declare and affirm that I shall hereafter lead my life according to the principles and teachings of the Buddha and his Dhamma.
While social justice warriors argue that these vows are about leaving ‘dogmatic’ Hinduism and embracing ‘rational’ Buddhism, in reality, Dr Ambedkar’s Navayana Buddhism rests simply on the negation of Hinduism. It has little to do with spiritual growth or finding peace, but is about building an identity rooted in hate for Hinduism.
Samajwadi Party leader Rajkumar Bhati has a track record of spewing anti-Hindu hate
Rajkumar Bhati has earned notoriety for disparaging Hindus, the Hindu faith and deities in his public speeches under the pretext of advocating social justice and promoting ‘rationality’.
In May this year, during a book launch event, Bhati compared Brahmins to prostitutes and described them as even worse. However, as Hindus were outraged and demanded police action, Rajkumar Bhati changed tone and began offering an “unconditional apology” with folded hands. However, a video he himself shared exposes his forced apology, in which he is still smiling while reading the hateful lyrics, while his supporters, in the background, demand the installation of “posters” of this insult.
Rajkumar Bhati made anti-Brahmin remarks during the book launch event held at Jawahar Bhawan in Delhi, associated with the Sonia Gandhi family’s Rajiv Gandhi Foundation on 5th May 2025. The book in question was titled “The Virus of Caste and Communalism.”
During this speech, Rajkumar Bhati recited an old couplet, “ब्राह्मण भला न वेश्या, इनमें भला न कोय!और कोई-कोई वेश्या तो भली, ब्राह्मण भला न कोय।” The direct meaning of this was that, for him, Brahmins were worse than prostitutes.
Interestingly, Bhati has a pattern of first indulging in anti-Hindu activities, and when outrage erupts, he promptly issues a video apology, salvaging the damage done. However, his apologies are performative and driven by political compulsions rather than any genuine epiphany.
Back in May this year, as Bhati’s video spewing vitriol against Brahmins triggered online outrage and an FIR was registered in Ghaziabad, he issued a 5-minute video giving vague excuses and portraying himself as a victim.
Akin to his rhetoric in the present case, Bhati had claimed that “some innocent people are misled by the BJP and start a smear campaign against them.”
However, Bhati’s apologies after insulting Hinduism are as genuine as the Samajwadi Party’s secularism.
Bhati once even said that if he were Ram, he would advise Brahmins to abandon their hypocrisy.
The Samajwadi Party leader once called the Manusmriti “inferior” and considers the great work Ramcharitmanas a mere “ordinary poem” rather than a divine text.
Moreover, Bhati previously said that he doesn’t feel the need to visit temples because he is currently conducting research on whether God exists.
However, so much for his rationality: on the one hand, he questions Hindu deities; on the other hand, he openly declares on TV that he considers no one greater than Muhammad.
In an earlier tweet, Rajkumar Bhati had referred to Brahminism as a “virus” and called for a vaccine.
There is an evident pattern of Rajkumar Bhati issuing anti-Hindu statements and indulging in activities disparaging Hindu faith and deities, only to apologise later and blame political opponents. However, the Samajwadi Party leader has reduced apologies to exculpate himself from the controversies his Hinduphobic rhetoric triggers. This time, however, Rajkumar Bhati has somehow invited the ire of both Hindus and neo-Buddhists.
