Kalyan Singh justifies sloganeering at swearing-in

Soon after his swearing-in as the 20th Governor of Rajasthan, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh found himself in the middle of a controversy as he justified the slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” raised by his supporters during the function and criticising the opposition Congress, going against the prescribed conduct of the constitutional office.

He said the slogans 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Vande Mataram', raised by his supporters and party workers as soon as he was sworn in as the new governor on Thursday, were a matter of faith and there was nothing controversial about it.  “What is controversial in this? It’s the matter of faith, love and dedication. And such emotions cannot be checked,” Kalyan Singh said.

Asked about his stand on the allegations by opposition parties over elevation of Justice Sadasiv Rao as Governor, he said the Congress is exhausted as a party and has a habit of making issues out of nothing. “Why can’t a judge be appointed governor of a state? The Congress is frustrated and there is nothing left in the party,” Singh said.

Meanwhile, the Congress has condemned the sloganeering at the governor’s swearing in ceremony and his remarks on the party.  “The swearing-in ceremony of governor was marked by slogans of Jai Shri Ram, which was very unfortunate. Surprisingly the new government justified it but he should understand that it was not the religious platform,” PCC spokesperson Archana Sharma said.