A major controversy has erupted over the presence of the Delhi Minister and AAP MLA from Seemapuri, Rajendra Pal Gautam, at a mass conversion event on October 5 where “thousands” of people can be heard taking an oath denouncing Hindu deities.
At the controversial event, organised by the Buddhist Society of India and conducted at the Dr BR Ambedkar Bhavan in Jhandewalan in the national Capital, people were allegedly asked to take a pledge not to worship Hindu gods and goddesses. They were also asked to show full faith in Buddhism.
Sources in the AAP claimed that the Chief Minister was “extremely displeased” with Gautam. Interestingly, neither Kejriwal nor any party leaders defended him.
Meanwhile, at a Press conference, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia accused the AAP of hurting the sentiments of Hindus.
BJP leaders also asked Kejriwal to sack Gautam within 24 hours for showing “disrespect” towards Hindu deities in the presence of thousands of people. Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta also lodged a police complaint against Gautam on the issue.
Gautam, who holds the portfolios of Social Welfare, SC & ST, Cooperative, Gurudwara Elections and Women & Child Development in the Kejriwal-led Government himself had also tweeted the pictures of the event, saying more than 10,000 people pledged to join Buddhism and work for making India free from casteism and untouchability.
Several videos of the event and the initiation have gone viral on the internet. One clip showed people being asked to vow not to worship Hindu gods and goddesses, and not to follow Hindu rituals.
In the purported video that went viral four days after the event, Gautam can be seen sharing the dias with other persons attending the programme. He could also be seen standing in the pledge gesture.
The pledge was, “I will never hold Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh as gods and worship them. I will neither hold Ram and Krishna as God nor worship them ever. I will not believe in or worship Gauri, Ganapti or any other deity of the Hindu religion.”
Later, he was seen delivering a speech wherein he urged Hindus to renounce their faith and tread the path of Dr Ambedkar. As per the video clips, during the event, a saffron-clad man administered an oath to the crowd, which closely resembled the controversial 22 vows of BR Ambedkar. The man urged the Hindus to disassociate themselves from their original faith and desist from the worship of deities.