Raipur: Chhattisgarh Congress CM Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday (May 8, 2022) has made controversial remarks on Lord Ram and Hanuman for attacking the BJP and the Rashtriya Sewak Sangh (RSS). CM Baghel called Lord Shri Ram a Rambo in a bid to target the BJP-RSS, and at the same time, he described Hanuman ji as a symbol of anger. Speaking to the media, Baghel said India is currently going through a period of "provocative and aggressive nationalism" where there is no place for any objection or disagreement. He said that this phase will pass after a while and that Congress will return to power.
Baghel further said, "Ram is embedded in our culture. Ram is both real and formless, we have accepted Ram in different forms. We know The Ram of Kabir, The Ram of Tulsi and the Ram of Shabri. Ram lives in the heart and mind of every Indian. Activists have accepted Ram in one form, farmers see his other form, while tribals see a different form of him, and intellectuals and devotees see him in another form. Baghel said, "Even Mahatma Gandhi believed in Ram. His last words were 'Hey Ram'. He used to recite Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram. But the way the BJP and the Sangh look at Ram today and the agenda they are setting, they have changed the Ram who was 'Maryada Purushottam' and lives in the hearts of every devotee as a symbol of love.''
The Congress leader further said that the BJP-RSS has made Ram a fighter Rambo. Similarly, Hanuman is a symbol of humility, devotion and knowledge. But today their posters are offensive. If you look at the old pictures of Hanuman ji, you will see that the Lord was quite beautiful, in devotion and meditation posture. But today he is angry and aggressive. The way they are establishing the mindset of the society, they first showed Ram as aggressive and are now doing so with Hanuman. Our Ram belongs to Kabir and Tulsi, to the tribals, to the farmers and labourers. '
Attacking the BJP, CM Baghel said that the idea of nationalism of this party has been imported. Taking the name of BS Munj, he asked, "Who met Mussolini, it was BS Munj, the drums, hats, everything has been imported. There is no room for dissent and objection in their nationalism. Our nationalism was completely different. We have been associated with traditions from the very beginning, which were developed by Shankaracharya, Kabir, Guru Nanak, and Ramakrishna Paramhansa.''
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