Digvijay ‘laughs off’ Uma demand for CBI inquiry

The Congress and the BJP in the state want to eat their cake and have it too. Though both parties claim they have no intention of stoking th...

The Congress and the BJP in the state want to eat their cake and have it too. Though both parties claim they have no intention of stoking the cake controversy or any ‘‘non-issue’’ not related to the development of the state, neither is willing to let go of a chance to snipe at the other.

So while Minister for Public Health Deepak Saxena has announced that he will organise a ‘‘shuddhikaran’’ of the Jam Sanvli Hanuman Temple with holy water from Ganga and Narmada, state BJP vice-president Raghunandan Sharma had reportedly accused Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Ranjit Deshmukh of carrying out a ‘‘tantrik anushthan’’ for ensuring a third term for the Digvijay government. Six tantriks brought in by Deshmukh had allegedly sacrificed 125 goats at the function.

MP government promoting conversions: BJP

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Monday charged the Congress in Madhya Pradesh with promoting conversions. BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman V.K. Malhotra cited an MP govt publication, which, according to him, urged Dalits to give up Hinduism. He claimed that the booklet maintained that ‘‘no war of Dalits can be won unless they completely come out of the Hindu fold.’’ Terming it as ‘‘highly condemnable,’’ the BJP spokesman said that anyone encouraging conversions could be booked under the anti-conversion law, which had been enforced in MP. ‘‘How can any party oppose any religion as such?’’ he asked.
Malhotra alleged that Digvijay Singh was resorting to these tactics ‘‘to please Congress president Sonia Gandhi.’’ (ENS)

According to newspaper reports, Sharma had further said that Digvijay had rubbed off the sandalwood tilak on his forehead after coming out of Mahakaleshwar temple in order to keep the local Muslim voters happy.

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At his residence today, Digvijay said he was not aware of the incident. But as he stood chatting with Saxena, who reiterated his desire for the shuddhikaran of the temple, the CM said he would attend the ceremony if invited.

About BJP state president Kailash Joshi and Opposition leader Babulal Gaur saying that the Chief Minister ‘‘doesn’t have the courage to answer Uma’s letter (demanding CBI probe into cake controversy)’’, Digvijay said: ‘‘You can say the CM laughed it off. What, after all can the CBI find out?’’

Later, responding to Saxena’s announcement, BJP’s Gaur issued a press note stating: ‘‘Saxena should rather purify the state Congress office, because sitting there, the Congress in power has caused pain to the public which is no less than any defilement. He should, in the interest of the people of the state, take the CM to Hardwar or Allahabad for a bath in the Ganga, because the sin of five suicides — in protest against his decision to dismiss 28,000 daily-wagers — is on his head.”