Congress alleges ‘nudity in front of Hanuman' after BJP holds bodybuilding event

The organising committee reportedly includes the city's BJP mayor Prahlad Patel, while the patron is Ratlam MLA Chaitanya Kashyap.

Published on: Mar 7, 2023, 08:30:22 IST

By HT News Desk

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A controversy has erupted over a bodybuilding competition in Madhya Pradesh in which women bodybuilders posed in front of the image of Lord Hanuman. Congress workers sprinkled ‘ganga jal’ at the venue of the bodybuilding competition organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and recited 'Hanuman Chalisa' as part of the "purification" of the venue in Ratlam, alleging that it was affront to Lord Hanuman, the celibate patron deity of the sport.

Women bodybuilders posing at a bodybuilding competition organised by BJP.

The 13th Mister Junior Bodybuilding Competition was held on March 4 and 5. As per the event's invitation card, the organising committee includes the city's BJP mayor Prahlad Patel, while the patron is legislator Chaitanya Kashyap. A video of the event doing rounds on the internet showed women bodybuilders posing in front of Lord Hanuman cut-out.

Piyush Babele, the media advisor of Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath, sought an apology from chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan claiming that the event was held to mark his birthday.

“The name of the trophy for obscenity is chief minister's trophy. Will you apologize or are you behind all this,” Babele said in a tweet in Hindi.

State BJP spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai said the Congress did not want to see women excelling in sports.

In his video statement, Bajpai said, "Congressmen cannot see women taking part in wrestling, gymnastics or swimming because the devil inside them awakens by seeing this. They look at women on the playground with dirty eyes. Aren't they ashamed?"

Babele said his party will boycott Bajpai in television debates for "supporting obscenity".

“Your silence on this obscenity of BJP is embarrassing Hinduism. Why are you silent on the insult of Bajrang Bali?” Babele asked in another tweet, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, RSS, and other BJP leaders.

(With inputs from agencies)

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