Delhi minister Gautam, who attended ‘religious conversion’ event, resigns

On Wednesday, Rajendra Pal Gautam had attended Ashoka Vijaya Dashami celebrations at Ambedkar Bhawan in Jhandewalan, where 10,000 people were supposed to embrace Buddhism.

Delhi minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, who triggered a row over his presence at a “mass religious conversion” event earlier this week where hundreds of people denounced Hinduism and adopted Buddhism, resigned from the Arvind Kejriwal cabinet on Sunday.

AAP leader Rajendra Pal Gautam posted photos from the event which took place in Delhi on October 5, on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami.

“Such an issue has been created out of oaths that are repeated by several crore people of the country. The BJP has made it an issue, are trying to insult me and my party,” Gautam said after submitting his resignation.

The Delhi social welfare minister had come in for criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which accused the state’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of hurting sentiments and demanded that the party remove the legislator from his position.

A Delhi BJP delegation met the New Delhi deputy commissioner of police and filed a complaint against the minister. A person aware of the matter said that chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was “extremely displeased” with Gautam.

In a statement on Friday evening, Gautam said he said he did not speak against anyone’s faith, and accused the BJP of “propaganda”.

On Wednesday, Gautam had attended Ashoka Vijaya Dashami celebrations at Ambedkar Bhawan in Jhandewalan, where 10,000 people were supposed to embrace Buddhism.

A video of the event shows a monk, sharing the dais with Gautam, administering an oath to the gathered Hindus: “I will have no faith in Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, nor will I worship them as God. I will have no faith in Rama or Krishna, nor will I worship them. I will have no faith in Gauri, Ganapati and other Hindu Gods, nor will I worship them.”

Gautam was seen taking the oath as well. To be sure, the oath is one of 22 vows taken by BR Ambedkar when he led thousands of people in converting to Buddhism in October 1956.

The gathering, an annual affair held every October, was organised by two social groups — the Buddhist Society of India and Mission Jai Bheem. The event commemorates the 1956 mass conversion, known as Ashok Vijaya Dashami.