A woman artiste was allegedly heckled during an event in Patna on Wednesday when she sang popular bhajan ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’. The Opposition shared a video of the incident and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)members of creating an uproar.
The incident happened at a function held in Patna, Bihar, on the occasion of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee‘s birth anniversary on Wednesday.
What’s happened at the event?
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief president Lalu Prasad Yadav claimed that folk singer Devi sang Mahatma Gandhi’s bhajan, Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, Patit Pavan Sita Ram’, at the auditorium built in his name and said “Sita Ram”.
“Then the petty BJP members made her apologise on the mic and made her chant Jai Shri Ram instead of Jai Sita Ram,” Yadav alleged, asking, “why do these Sanghis insult women including Sita Mata?”
Yadav also shared the viral video of the incident, wherein the singer can be seen offering an apology to the unruly crowds, who got agitated when she sang the stanza ‘Ishwar Allah Tero Naam’. The video seemed edited, with some parts missing in between.
The Congress said the incident was “a testament to how much hatred the RSS-BJP people have for Gandhiji.” The party added, “People with Godse’s ideology cannot respect Gandhiji. But they should remember…This country will be run by the ideology of Gandhiji, not Godse.”
BJP says furore was over...
Media reports claimed that the mob objected to the line in the bhajan —’Ishwar Allah tero naam’.
BJP sources told news agency PTI that the newspaper report shared by Lalu Yadav in a tweet clearly stated that the furore was not over ‘Sita Ram’ but the subsequent stanza —’Ishwar Allah Tero Naam’.
While the bhajan is several centuries old, the aforesaid stanza is believed to have been an improvisation at Mahatma Gandhi’s instance, in keeping with his push for unity among Hindus and Muslims.
BJP sources claimed that party workers opposed the “recital of a line that was not part of the original verse composed by 15th-century poet Narsi Mehta, but inserted later, apparently in line with Gandhi’s Hindu-Muslim unity plank”.
