Chhattisgarh: Cong MLA calls for ‘Hindu Rashtra’, party says individual opinion

Chhattisgarh Congress legislator Anita Sharma on Friday called for unity to build a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ and asked everyone to come forward to make it happen.

While addressing a gathering held in Raipur to mark the birth anniversary Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati on Friday, Sharma, an MLA from the Dharsiwa constituency, called for unity to build a Hindu Rashtra and appealed that all Hindus should come together for the cause. A video clip of the statement went viral on social media on Saturday.

“All of us, wherever we are…We should pledge to make a Hindu Rashtra.. We should talk for the Hindus and it is only possible if all Hindus come together,” the MLA said in the local Chhattisgarhi dialect at the event.

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Congress party however refused to entertain her comment terming it as “individual opinion”.

Speaking to media persons, Chhattisgarh Congress communication head and spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla called her it a “personal statement”.

“The Congress party stands with the Constitution. The Congress is firm on secularism that is mentioned in the great constitution drafted by leaders like Babasaheb Ambedkar, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, and Dr Rajendra Prasad,” Shukla said.

Shukla further said that every person can have their own ideology and that the Congress party welcomes differences of opinion.

However, on Saturday Sharma said that her statement was “misinterpreted” and she was talking about the unity of all people who live in this country.

“I am Gandhian and Gandhi ji has said that the hatred should be stopped … People from all religions are brothers … I was talking about the unity of all people who live in India… For me the concept of Hindu Rashtra is the unity of all religions,” said Sharma adding that politics is being done over her statement.

Reacting to Sharma’s statement, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Kedar Gupta said that the Congress party has no right to speak about Hindu Rashtra and Ramrajya.

“Uniform Civil Code is coming …Will she support it?.. There is a difference between what Congress says and does,” said Gupta.