Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath on Saturday announced that the Bhopal rally has been cancelled even as MP CM Shivraj Chouhan cited ‘public anger’ against anti-Sanatan Dharma remarks as the reason.
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday cited “public anger” against anti-Sanatan Dharma remarks made by DMK leaders as state Congress chief Kamal Nath announced that the proposed rally of the INDIA bloc in Bhopal in October has been cancelled.
Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) had announced earlier this week that the opposition bloc– which consists of Congress and more than 25 other parties opposed to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)– would organize a mega rally in Bhopal next month.
However, Congress veteran and former chief minister Kamal Nath on Saturday announced that the rally has been cancelled. “It is not going to happen. It has been cancelled,” Nath told reporters.
Responding to a question about the same, All India Congress Committee general secretary in charge Randeep Singh Surjewala also said the party chief has yet not taken a decision about INDIA bloc rally in Bhopal.
“We will confirm once a decision is taken,” Surjewala added.
Reacting to Nath’s statement about the cancellation of the INDIA bloc rally, MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan linked it to “anger of the public” at the remarks against Sanatan Dharma.
“This is the anger of the public. You will call Sanatan Dharma as dengue and malaria. The people of Madhya Pradesh will not tolerate any insult to Sanatan Dharma,” he said, adding the opposition bloc should realise these comments have attacked “our faith”.
“There is anger and sorrow among the people of Madhya Pradesh (over the anti-Sanatan Dharma remarks). They (opposition) were afraid the people might express their anger, and, hence, they cancelled the rally of INDIA bloc,” Chouhan claimed.
Recently, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leaders Udhayanidhi Stalin and A Raja had claimed Sanatan Dharma had sown divisions in society and must be eradicated on the lines of diseases like dengue, malaria and coronavirus.
Earlier this week, the INDIA bloc had announced to hold their first joint rally in Bhopal in the first week of October following a meeting at the residence of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar.
After the meeting at Pawar’s residence, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal had said the rally would focus on rising prices, unemployment and corruption under the BJP government.
(With PTI inputs)