The Lok Sabha on Tuesday witnessed an uproar when Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandopadhyay told the House that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have conveyed greetings to people on the occasion of Id.
The Congress also sought to raise a similar allegation against the prime minister, but party MP Adhir Chowdhury’s remark was not recorded in the proceedings of the House, following a ruling by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
Chowdhury later told journalists that it was regrettable that the prime minister had not hosted an Iftar during the month of Ramzan, breaking a tradition set by his predecessors, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The government, however, sought to put the record straight, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu claiming that Modi had conveyed greetings to people on the occasion of Id. “The prime minister visited Pashupatinath temple.
He has also given his greetings to the whole Muslim community across the country. It has been widely published. I want to put it on record that we believe in ‘Sarva Dharma Samabhava’,” he said.
However, Bandopadhyay noted that “some evil forces of the country” were trying to foment “communal tensions in different parts of the country”. “The prime minister went and offered pooja in Nepal. He even donated ghee and 2,500 kg of sandalwood. We are all happy to see it. I appreciate the steps taken by the prime minister but it was equally expected that he should communicate Id Mubarak to others also. These are the common sentiments, ethos and feelings of the country,” said Bandopadhyay, adding a question: “Why is there such a difference?”
