With the UPA government claiming in an affidavit before the Supreme Court that Lord Ram did not exist and that the Ramayana has no historical basis, it is clear that the Congress party'spseudo-secularism has degenerated into sadist-secularism, said Opposition leader in the Lok Sabha Shri L.K. Advani after an emergency meeting of the BJP-office bearers in New Delhi. Seemingly hurt Shri Advani blamed the UPA government for practicing the worst form of ?communalism? and sought an apology from the Prime Minister and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for hurting the sentiments of millions of Hindus both at national and at international level. He targeted Congress chief Sonia Gandhi?the ?real power? behind the UPA regime?for deliberately hurting Hindu sentiments.
The senior BJP leader also rejected the government'sdamage-limitation formula of submitting a supplementary affidavit, and, instead, demanded its withdrawal and he also wanted the government to fix the ministerial responsibility, and give an undertaking that the Ram Sethu, which was described as a symbol of faith for millions of people, would be protected. He added that the affidavit of the UPA government has created an untoward situation in the country and this is a glaring example of the UPA government'splaying the card of pseudo-secularism.
?In the name of secularism, anti-Hinduism manifests itself from time to time. I believe that the touchstone of secularism should be the crucial question?what is often said against the Hindus, can it be hurled against any other religions? I dare the secularists to say such things even indirectly against other religions and their symbols, Shri Advani challenged secularists.
?It is blasphemous and arrogance at worst, and insensitivity and recklessness at best, for a government claiming to be ?secular? to trash the deepest and noblest sensibilities of the Hindus. In one stroke of its legal pen, the government has sought to negate all that the Hindus consider sacred in their faith?, he observed.
?I would like to point out that the Ramayana, along with the Mahabharata, is also considered the bedrock of India'snational culture and identity by all the great leaders of India'sfreedom movement?from Mahatma Gandhi to Lokmanya Tilak, and from Jawaharlal Nehru to Sardar Patel. By describing it as a pure myth and a work of fiction, the government has wounded the very idea of India and sought to rewrite the civilisational identity of our ancient nation, Shri Advani added.
The senior BJP leader said that not even during the Ayodhya movement had anyone responsible in the government taken such a bizarre stand in the name of ?secularism?. It is true that some people who were opposed to the construction of the Ram Temple at Ramjanmabhoomi did ask, ?How can you prove that Ram was born here?? But none questioned the very existence of Lord Rama.
It is the present UPA government, which is politically steered by Smt. Sonia Gandhi and only nominally headed by Dr. Manmohan Singh, that has the dubious distinction of telling the Supreme Court that Lord Rama was never born
Shri Advani put the contents of the affidavit in the same league as PM Manmohan Singh's?Muslims have the first claim on resources?. ?I believe that our Constitution and the country'spolitical ethos mandate, the first claim on resources on the hungry and the poor, regardless of their religious background,? Shri Advani said.
?The BJP deems the UPA government'santi-Hindu act to be a very grave development in the political and social history of India. I would like to warn the leadership of the Congress party and the government that, unless corrective action is taken immediately, it will face a massive, sustained and peaceful protest action all over the country. The BJP will participate in this agitation in full force?, he warned and informed that in the next national executive that is to be held in Bhopal, a detail discussion would be held there.
