‘Friendly’ prod by BJP minister to make Congress MLA chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’
On Wednesday, Jharkhand urban development minister and BJP leader C.P. Singh stepped out of the Assembly and wrapped his arm around Congress MLA Irfan Ansari’s shoulders. On a video clip, Singh is seen telling Ansari: “Main to kah reha hun, bhai, Irfan bhai, ek bar jor se ‘Jai Shri Ram’ boliye (I’m telling you, Brother Irfan, say ‘Jai Shri Ram’ aloud once).”
Prompted by a small group that kept saying “haath pakadke, haath pakadke (grab his hand)”, the minister clasps Ansari’s left hand and tries to lift it. Ansari smiles and raises his right hand to show a red mauli (a sacred thread that Hindu priests tie on devotees’ wrists) on his wrist.
Singh throws an arm around Ansari’s shoulders, tries to get him to turn his face towards the camera and provides a demonstration by shouting “Jai Shri Ram” at the top of his voice. The minister asks a still-smiling Ansari: “Bas, ho gaya, ho gaya kaam (See, it’s done, isn’t it)?”…
SEE ALSO:
- Maharashtra: Muslim men threatened to chant Jai Shri Ram in Aurangabad (Jul 22, 2019, India Today)
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/muslim-men-jai-shri-ram-1572063-2019-07-22 - ‘Jo Na Bole Jai Shri Ram’: Four Arrested by UP Police for Hate Song (Jul 27, 2019, The Wire)
https://thewire.in/communalism/jo-na-bole-jai-shri-ram-four-arrested-up-police-varun-bahar - ‘Jai Shree Ram has become a war-cry’: Celebs write to PM Modi over incidents of lynching (Jul 24, 2019, Times of India)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/70358827.cms - Jai Shri Ram row: Tehseen Poonawalla threatens to take protest to PM Modi’s residence (Jul 24, 2019, India Today)
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/jai-shri-ram-kabristan-song-tehseen-ponawalla-pm-modi-fir-police-1573074-2019-07-24
