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Karnal BJP leaders attend dera chief’s satsang, spark controversy
A video of the leaders attending the event went viral on social media, leading to outrage on social media as people termed it as an attempt to appease Ram Rahim’s followers who have a considerable vote share in Karnal
: BJP leaders from Karnal, including municipal corporation mayor Renu Bala Gupta, attended an online satsang here of rape convict and now on parole dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim held in Uttar Pradesh, triggering a controversy on social media with people accusing their participation in the event as a politically motivated move.
Gupta, who was accompanied by senior deputy mayor Rajesh Aggi and deputy mayor Naveen Kumar, attended the virtual satsang at Karnal’s Kambopura village and arrangements were made so that the followers could join the virtual satsang on Tuesday. The satsang was organized in Barnawa in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh.
A video of the leaders attending the event went viral on social media, leading to outrage on social media as people termed it as an attempt to appease Ram Rahim’s followers who have a considerable vote share in Karnal.
However, the BJP leaders clarified that they had gone there on the invitation of the followers of controversial dera head.
Talking to Hindustan Times, Gupta said that her visit to the satsang and inviting the dera head to Karnal for another cleanliness drive should not be considered as a political move and that she has just appreciated the efforts he had made to keep the city clean by launching the cleanliness drive in May 2017.
In the video, Gupta could seen talking live to the dera head via a video call and seeking blessings of the self-styled godaman and calling him ‘pitaji’. She also urged him to come Karnal and launch a special cleanliness drive as he had done before his conviction.
“We are social people and we have to go to such programmes if people have invited us and I don’t think that we have done anything wrong,” she added.
Ram Rahim is on parole for 40 days.
Senior deputy mayor Aggi said that their visit has nothing to do with politics as there are thousands of followers of the dera head in his ward who had invited him to attend the langar and satsang. “I remained there for only few minutes and returned,” he said.
Deputy mayor Kumar, who himself is a follower of the dera head said that it was a routine visit on the invite of the followers and it has nothing to do with politics. “We cannot deny the people of my ward and it was just a short visit,” he added. Kumar said that several other leaders, including BJP’s district president Yogender Rana had also attended satsang.
