BJP slams Kejriwal over Sundarkand event, calls him ‘chunavi Hindu’
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday launched a nationwide petition demanding strict punishment for those involved in the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The campaign began with the recitation of ‘Sundakhand’ in Rohini in the presence of party organizer Arvind Kejriwal.
Sundarkand is a section of Ramcharitmanas dedicated to Lord Hanuman.
Kejriwal said the campaign was launched with the blessing of Lord Hanuman and appealed to people to join by signing letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking strict action against those responsible for what the party termed “chanda-chori” at the temple.
Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra described Kejriwal’s reading of Sundarkhand as nothing but a “political stunt” aimed at boosting his political fortunes.
Malhotra accused Kejriwal of “insulting” the Hindu faith by displaying his “hypocritical devotion” in the name of Lord Hanuman and Sundarkand Paath.
He also criticized Kejriwal for earlier announcing a series of Shri Sundarkand Paath programs for 2024, which according to him, has since backed off. “When Kejriwal finds himself cornered politically, he is trying to strengthen his political standing by organizing Sundarkhand readings in Delhi.” said Malhotra.
He claimed that the current focus on the Ram temple and the Sundarkand Paath was an effort to woo Hindu voters in Punjab and other states where elections are approaching.
The Delhi BJP chief said that the people of Delhi and the entire country still vividly remember Kejriwal’s speech, quoting his grandmother, in which he said that according to him, he did not want to visit a temple built after a mosque was demolished.
The allegation of theft of donations from the newly built Ram temple in Ayodhya has turned into a major political war of words between the BJP and opposition parties.
An FIR was registered on June 25 following a preliminary report by the SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government after the embezzlement case came to light.
Eight people were arrested in connection with the temple’s donation and counting process, and the investigation is ongoing.
