Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
India

Sanjay Nirupam's ‘Atheist’ Jab At Mallikarjun Kharge Over 'Shastra Puja' Remark

Darpan News Desk IANS, 09 Oct, 2019 06:39 PM

    When Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge termed the Shastra Puja performed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the first Rafale fighter jet received by India as unnecessary "tamasha" (theatrics), he probably did not brace himself for condemnation from his own party.
    Or maybe he did. Mr Kharge has not been in the best of terms with Sanjay Nirupam, the critic in question, over the last few weeks.


    Rajnath Singh had conducted the Shastra Puja, a Hindu ritual involving the worship of weapons, on the hi-tech aircraft during the handover ceremony in France's Bordeaux on Tuesday. Footage of the event showed him drawing an "Om" symbol on the body of the combo jet and making religious offerings of flowers and a coconut as French officials looked on. "Performed Shastra Puja on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami. Worshipping weapons on Vijayadashami has been our tradition," he tweeted at the time.


    Mr Kharge, who serves as the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, was not impressed. "There is no need to do such tamasha (drama). When we bought weapons like the Bofors gun in the past, no one showed them off like these guys are doing," he said. "Our Air Force officers judged whether they were good or not. These people go and show off by sitting inside (the aircraft)."


    Rajnath Singh had undertaken a brief sortie in the fighter jet after the handover ceremony.


    Interestingly, Maharashtra Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam was among the first to criticise Mr Kharge for his comments on the ritual. "Shastra Puja cannot be called tamasha," he said. "Shastra Puja has always been a hallowed religious tradition in our country. The problem is that Khargeji is an atheist. But not everybody in the Congress party are atheists," news agency quoted him as saying.


    However, this barb was by no means the first aimed at Mr Kharge by Sanjay Nirupam over the last few days. Two days ago, he had launched a scathing attack on the veteran politican for allegedly denying him an opportunity to be heard in a party forum. "Great leader Khargeji had called a meeting of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee yesterday to formulate the election strategy. The meeting got over in 15 minutes, but did he let anybody speak? He himself spoke, repeatedly trying to ridicule me. Will such great strategists save or destroy the Congress with their mala fide intent?" a tweet posted by the Mumbai-based politican read.


    According to sources, Sanjay Nirupam is resentful of the party leadership "ignoring" his recommendations for candidates in the Maharashtra election -- set to be held on October 21.


    The disgruntled leader had earlier predicted that the Congress will win just three to four seats in the upcoming Maharashtra elections, and accused Mr Kharge and other top leaders of conspiring to nudge out those close to former party chief Rahul Gandhi. He was rewarded with a sharp rebuke for his trouble.


    The BJP also slammed Mr Kharge's remark by questioning his choice of issues to criticise the government, and alleged that the Congress had "worshipped" Ottavio Quattrocchi -- the alleged middleman in the Bofors deal -- while sealing it in the 1980s.


    India is set to receive 18 Rafale jets by February 2021, and the rest by the middle of the following year.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Demonising PM Modi All The Time Won't Help: Jairam Ramesh To Opposition

    Demonising PM Modi All The Time Won't Help: Jairam Ramesh To Opposition
    It is time we recognise Modi’s work and what he did between 2014 and 2019 due to which he was voted back to power by over “30 per cent of the electorate”, said Ramesh on Wednesday.

    Demonising PM Modi All The Time Won't Help: Jairam Ramesh To Opposition

    Hackers Attack Indian Health Care Website, Steal 68 Lakh Records: US firm

    Hackers Attack Indian Health Care Website, Steal 68 Lakh Records: US firm
    "The valuable research being conducted within some of these institutions continues to be an attractive target for nation-states seeking to leapfrog their domestic industries," the report emphasised.    

    Hackers Attack Indian Health Care Website, Steal 68 Lakh Records: US firm

    ISRO Releases First Moon Image Captured By Chandrayaan-2

    ISRO Releases First Moon Image Captured By Chandrayaan-2
    Mare Orientale basin and Apollo craters identified in the picture  

    ISRO Releases First Moon Image Captured By Chandrayaan-2

    Many Offers Of Mediation On Kashmir; Progress Only If India Accepts: Pakistan

    Many Offers Of Mediation On Kashmir; Progress Only If India Accepts: Pakistan
    Pakistan said on Thursday that there were many offers of mediation on Kashmir, but any progress would be possible only if India accepted them.

    Many Offers Of Mediation On Kashmir; Progress Only If India Accepts: Pakistan

    Rajiv Gandhi Also Got A Massive Mandate, But Didn't Create Atmosphere Of Fear: Sonia Gandhi

    Rajiv Gandhi Also Got A Massive Mandate, But Didn't Create Atmosphere Of Fear: Sonia Gandhi
    Addressing an event marking Rajiv Gandhi’s 75th birth anniversary, she also said the challenges facing the Congress were formidable, but it must continue with its ideological struggle against divisive forces.

    Rajiv Gandhi Also Got A Massive Mandate, But Didn't Create Atmosphere Of Fear: Sonia Gandhi

    Punjab CM Amarinder Singh Bats For Bharat Ratna To Hockey Legend Balbir Sr, Writes To Modi

    Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking the country’s highest civilian honour—the Bharat Ratna—for hockey legend Balbir Singh Sr.

    Punjab CM Amarinder Singh Bats For Bharat Ratna To Hockey Legend Balbir Sr, Writes To Modi