AAP MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam attends a gathering where 10,000 Hindus were converted to Buddhism. Twitter/@AdvRajendraPal
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA and Delhi’s Social Welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam Wednesday attended a gathering where 10,000 Hindus were converted to Buddhism. At the event, people were allegedly asked to pledge “not to worship Hindu gods and goddesses.”
The event took place on 5 October on the occasion of Dussehra at the Dr BR Ambedkar Bhavan in New Delhi.
During the event, people were asked to pledge not to consider Hindu deities and gods and goddesses anymore. They were asked to show full faith in Buddhism.
Taking to Twitter, the minister from the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi cabinet bragged about the widespread conversion and said: “With the support of Mission Jai Bhim, more than 10,000 intellectuals took a pledge to make a caste-free and untouchable India by converting to the Faith of Gautam Buddha,” wrote AAP leader.
‘Event nothing to do with politics’, says AAP’s Rajendra Pal Gautam
Talking to News18, AAP minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said that the event was organised by the Buddhist Society of India and it has nothing to do with politics.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Gautam said, “BJP is anti-national. I have faith in Buddhism, why does anyone have trouble with it? Let them complain. Constitution gives us the freedom to follow any religion. BJP is afraid of AAP. They can only lodge fake cases against us.”
AAP a ‘Hindu Virodhi Party’: BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called the AAP a ‘Hindu Virodhi Party’, or the anti-Hindu Party.
“This has not happened for the first time. I want to Delhi CM and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal stands on this issue where his minister was seen at an event where Hindus were converted to Buddhism,” BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana said.
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Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said, “AAP since its formation, its leaders have been repeatedly giving wrong and condemnable statements, remarks against the country and the Hindu religion.”
“If Arvind Kejriwal actually considers him secular then he should sack his minister Rajendra Pal Gautam within 24 hours. Such a leader should not just be sacked from the cabinet, but should also be removed from AAP,” Gupta said.
“This is an insult to Hinduism and Buddhism. AAP ministers are attempting to incite riots. The minister should immediately be removed from the party. We’re submitting a complaint against him,” BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said.
Hindus converted to Buddhism, administered oath to not follow gods and goddesses
During the event on 5 October, a saffron-clad man administered an oath to the crowd. “I shall have no faith in Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara, nor shall I worship them. I shall have no faith in Rama and Krishna who are believed to be the incarnation of God nor shall I worship them,” he was heard as saying in a video shared by the BJP.
“I do not and shall not believe that Lord Buddha was the incarnation of Vishnu. I believe this to be sheer madness and false propaganda. I shall not perform ‘Shraddha’ nor shall I give ‘pind-dan’,” the people were asked to repeat as they took the pledge.
They were further asked to take the pledge of not allow any ceremonies to be performed by Brahmins. “I renounce Hinduism which is harmful to humanity and impedes the advancement and development of humanity because it is based on inequality, and adopt Buddhism as my religion,” the man asked the crowd repeat and follow them.
With inputs from agencies
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