<p>External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today came under opposition attack in Rajya Sabha for demanding that the Bhagwad Gita be declared national scripture, with members saying this was a "sinister" design to alter secular character of the Constitution.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Raising the issue during Zero Hour, D Raja (CPI) demanded that the House should disapprove her demand even as the Government sprang to Swaraj's defence saying Gita was not a 'dharma granth' (religious scripture) but a 'karma granth' (book on individual's actions).<br /><br />"Gita is not a dharma granth. It is a karma granth," Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.<br /><br />He said some people see secularism in danger whenever there is talk about 'sanskriti and sanskar' (heritage and culture). "The entire country is proud of Bhagwad Gita," he said.<br /><br />"You cannot impose one holy book as the national book," Raja said, adding India is a multi-religion and multi-lingual society where different sections hold various scriptures as holy.<br /><br />Swaraj's statement, he said, was not an isolated statement and should be seen in the context of remarks by BJP and RSS leaders.<br /><br />"There is a sinister design to alter secular fabric and secular character of the Constitution," he said.<br /><br />Raja asked why the BJP government was giving "special treatment" to Sanskrit language in school education at the cost of other Indian languages like Tamil which are equally ancient.<br /><br />Swaraj's statement, he said, was "objectionable" and "the House should take note of it and disapprove it."<br /><br />While Digvijay Singh (Cong) said he condemns Swaraj's statement, Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) said the holy book for India is its Constitution that guarantees right of equality to all.<br /><br />Several members from Left, Congress and Trinamool rose to associate themselves with Raja</p>
<p>External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today came under opposition attack in Rajya Sabha for demanding that the Bhagwad Gita be declared national scripture, with members saying this was a "sinister" design to alter secular character of the Constitution.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Raising the issue during Zero Hour, D Raja (CPI) demanded that the House should disapprove her demand even as the Government sprang to Swaraj's defence saying Gita was not a 'dharma granth' (religious scripture) but a 'karma granth' (book on individual's actions).<br /><br />"Gita is not a dharma granth. It is a karma granth," Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.<br /><br />He said some people see secularism in danger whenever there is talk about 'sanskriti and sanskar' (heritage and culture). "The entire country is proud of Bhagwad Gita," he said.<br /><br />"You cannot impose one holy book as the national book," Raja said, adding India is a multi-religion and multi-lingual society where different sections hold various scriptures as holy.<br /><br />Swaraj's statement, he said, was not an isolated statement and should be seen in the context of remarks by BJP and RSS leaders.<br /><br />"There is a sinister design to alter secular fabric and secular character of the Constitution," he said.<br /><br />Raja asked why the BJP government was giving "special treatment" to Sanskrit language in school education at the cost of other Indian languages like Tamil which are equally ancient.<br /><br />Swaraj's statement, he said, was "objectionable" and "the House should take note of it and disapprove it."<br /><br />While Digvijay Singh (Cong) said he condemns Swaraj's statement, Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) said the holy book for India is its Constitution that guarantees right of equality to all.<br /><br />Several members from Left, Congress and Trinamool rose to associate themselves with Raja</p>