New Delhi, March 20 The BJP strongly criticized Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday over his alleged remarks on Sanatan Dharma and Hindu deities made in the Assembly, accusing him of disrespecting religious sentiments.
The saffron party alleged that it has become fashionable for Soren and other leaders of the INDIA opposition bloc to mock Hindu deities and ridicule their culture.
The reaction came after a video surfaced on social media, in which Soren was heard saying, "Sometimes, when I hear such things, I find it amusing. We are among those who most widely celebrate Saraswati Puja, yet the brightest children are born in Japan. We are among those who most widely celebrate Lakshmi Puja, yet the richest people are born in America. There must be something fundamentally wrong."
Sharing the video on its official X handle, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) termed Soren's alleged remarks as "an attack on Sanatan and an insult to Bharat".
"An attack on Sanatan is an attack on Bharat. Targeting the faith and culture of Sanatan followers for vote-bank politics has become a habit of Hemant Soren and leaders of the INDI Alliance. Mocking deities and ridiculing rituals has now become fashionable for them. The people of the country will once again give a befitting reply to those who insult Sanatan," the saffron party said in a post on X.
Union Women and Child Development Minister and Kodarma MP Annpurna Devi also criticised Soren, saying, "Insulting Sanatan deities and ridiculing its rituals is highly condemnable. Leaders of the INDI Alliance are consistently trying to project that the Hindu community is tolerant, and therefore its sentiments can be easily hurt."
"The statement made by the chief minister in the Assembly is a clear insult to our Sanatan traditions, culture, and faith," she said in a post on X.
Echoing similar views, BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde said in a post on X: "Attack on Sanatan; the height of appeasement. For the INDI Alliance, faith and culture are merely political tools -- wherever they see electoral gains, the meaning of respect and insult changes accordingly. The country is now aware; the people will give a fitting democratic reply to those who disrespect Sanatan."
Jharkhand MP Manish Jaiswal questioned Soren, asking, "Does the chief minister have the courage to ridicule any other religion in this manner?"