‘Aajkal Mahabharat sunane ka…’: Om Birla on MP's reference in Lok Sabha
The Speaker made the remarks while telling an MP not to narrate stories but to ask to-the-point questions.
Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on Friday said that stories of the Hindu epic Mahabharata are being narrated a lot in the House, reported PTI.
The Speaker made the remarks while telling an MP not to narrate stories but to ask to-the-point questions.
The incident took place when BJP MP from Odisha's Bargarh, Pradip Purohit, while asking a question to the Union Ayush minister, referred to an ayurvedic college and traced back the history of the herbs found in the area to ancient times.
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"Do not tell stories, ask the question (aap Mahabharat mat sunao, aap prashna poocho)," Birla told the member during the Question Hour, according to PTI.
“Aaj kal, Mahabharat sunane ka kissa zyada chala hai yahan par (Nowadays, stories of the Mahabharata are being narrated a lot here),” Birla quipped further.
The incident comes days after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi invoked the Mahabharata in the House, claiming that an atmosphere of fear prevails all around with a group of six trapping the entire country in a ‘chakravyuh’ (a trap).
Gandhi's reference was to the Mahabharat scripture, which stated that Abhimanyu was killed in a 'chakravyuh'.
He said that the BJP government has created a ‘chakravyuh’ with the concentration of financial power, institutions such as CBI, ED and Income Tax and with political executives and large business groups.
The Lok Sabha MP from Raebareli noted that the 'chakravyuh' is also called a 'padmavyuh' due to its resemblance to a lotus, which is the BJP's election symbol.
Also Read | ‘Indian are Arjun, not Abhimanyu’: Rahul Gandhi's new chakravyuh attack on PM Narendra Modi
"In the 21st century, another 'chakravyuh' has been prepared. It is in the form of lotus and the prime minister (Narendra Modi) wears the symbol on his chest. What was done with Abhimanyu is being done with India, with its youth, women, farmers and small and medium businesses," Gandhi had said.
BJP's Anurag Thakur had hit back at Gandhi, saying the Congress had laid several 'chakravyuh' for the country.
Thakur added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the country out of the 'chakravyuh' of the Congress.
