BJP leader and former MLA Gyandev Ahuja and Rajasthan’s Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully from Congress.
Rajasthan: On the occasion of Ram Navami on Sunday, Rajasthan’s Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully, a Dalit man, visited the Ram temple in Apna Ghar Shalimar in Alwar. Following his visit, BJP leader and former MLA Gyandev Ahuja responded by “purifying” the temple with Gangajal, claiming Jully’s presence had defiled the sacred space. The Congress party has announced a protest in all the district headquarters on Tuesday.
Calling Jully “anti-Hindutva” and “anti-Sanatan”, Ahuja expressed his strong objection against Jully’s visit.
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“He should be ashamed. He should cut his nose and dip it in a bowl of water. I wouldn’t use the word boycott, as it is Lord Shri Ram’s temple, but I will go and – his impure feet which will land there and hands which will touch the idols – I will go there tomorrow and sprinkle Gangajal and pray to Lord Shri Ram; this is my resolve,” said the BJP leader, as quoted by Indian Express.
The former MLA from Alwar’s Ramgarh went to the temple on Monday and sprinkled holy water inside it. Calling the invited Congress leaders “sinners and demons”, Ahuja said that some “visangati” (error) had occurred on Sunday’s consecration ceremony, as “those who challenged the existence of Lord Ram were invited.”
He further stated that the temple had been desecrated as some “impure” people had visited the place. When asked about the Dalit Congress leader, Ahuja said, “I won’t make my mouth dirty or impure by taking their names, jo bhi honge (whoever that might be).”
Responding to the same, Jully stated that Ahuja’s remarks revealed the mindset of the BJP towards Dalits. “I had raised the voice of Dalits in the Assembly and talked about running a campaign against untouchability, but the BJP’s mentality is that because I am a Dalit, they are talking about washing the temple with Gangajal if I go to the temple. This is not only an attack on my personal faith but also a statement promoting a crime like untouchability,” he said.
The Dalit leader further asked for clarifications from the state Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and the BJP State President Madan Rathore on whether they supported Ahuja’s remarks.
Several Congress MLAs and leaders, including former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra, slammed Ahuja and the saffron party for their “ill will” towards Dalits.
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A three-time MLA from Alwar Rural, Jully has been elected in 2008, 2018 and 2023. He is believed to be a close friend of Congress general secretary and former Union minister Jitendra Singh. After his appointment as Alwar District Congress Committee president in 2016, he became the Minister of State under the Gehlot government (2018-23). In 2021, Jully was promoted as Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment as well as Jails.
Notably, BJP MLA Gyandev Ahuja, who has roots in RSS, made headlines in 2016 after he alleged that India’s renowned Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was a hub of sex and drugs, with over 3,000 used condoms and 2,000 liquor bottles found daily inside the campus. The three-time MLA from Rarh was last elected in 2013.
