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'Those who chant Jai Shri Ram are not all saints': Congress leader Rashid Alvi's statement sparks row
Rashid Alvi said when Hanuman went to bring sanjeevani booti for Laxman, a demon in the form of a saint chanted Jai Shri Ram to divert him. It is in this context that the Congress leader warned that not all who chant 'Jai Shri Ram' are saints, some are demons.
Amid controversy over Salman Khurshid's observation on Hindutva in his new book on Ayodhya verdict, a video of Congress leader Rashid Alvi purportedly saying that 'not all people who chant Jai Shri Ram are saints' has gone viral. BJP's Amit Malviya shared the video of the senior Congress leader addressing a gathering and tweeted, "After Salman Khurshid, now Congress leader Rashid Alvi is saying those who chant Jai Shri Ram are demons. How much poison does Congress have towards the devotees of Ram!"
Rashid Alvi said when Hanuman went to bring sanjeevani booti for Laxman, a demon in the form of a saint chanted Jai Shri Ram to divert him. It is in this context that the Congress leader warned that not all who chant 'Jai Shri Ram' are saints, some are demons.
"Laxman's situation was deteriorating.. and it was believed that sanjeevani booti was effective only before the sunrise. Otherwise, it was difficult to save the life. Hanumanji was entrusted with the responsibility of bringing sanjeevani booti from the Himalayas. Ravan sent a demon in the form of a saint to waste Hanumanji's time so that he could not not bring sanjeevani before sunrise...
"The rakshas was chanting Jai Shri Ram.. Nowadays, many people chant this. Hanumanji descended because he was a devotee. The demon wanted to waste his time and asked Hanumanji to take a dip in Manasarovar as without taking a bath, no one should chant Jai Shri Ram. Today however people chant Jai Shri Ram without taking bath. A crocodile who was an apsara and turned into a crocodile by some curse then caught Hanumanji's feet. Taking the form of the apsara, she told Hanuman that the 'saint' chanting Jai Shri Ram is actually a rakshas," the Congress leader said.
"What I want to tell you as I conclude my speech is that today also there are many people chanting Jai Shri Ram. They are not all saints, they are demons. Be wary of them," the Congress leader said.
The comment comes at a time when veteran Congress leader Salman Khurshid has compared Hindutva with ISIS and Boko Haram in his new book on Supreme Court's Ayodhya verdict. "Sanatan Dharma and classical Hinduism known to sages and saints were being pushed aside by a robust version of Hindutva, by all standards a political version similar to the jihadist Islam of groups like ISIS and Boko Haram of recent years," the controversial passage reads.
