Hashtag Politics | Gita, Jihad: Shivraj Patil trips on own words

He added: “It is not just in Quran, but in the Mahabharata also, the part in Gita, Shri Krishna also talks of jihad to Arjun and this thing is not just in Quran or Gita but also in Christianity.”

“If, after explaining everything, people are not understanding, they are coming with weapons, then you cannot run, you cannot call that jihad and you cannot call it wrong. Tthis is what must be understood, there should not be this concept of making people understand with weapons in hand,” the 87-year-old leader went on to say.

The BJP immediately reacted to the statement. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said in a tweet, “After AAP’s Gopal Italia & Rajendra Pal, not to be outdone in Hindu hatred & votebank politics, Congress’ Shivraj Patil says Shri Krishna taught ‘Jihad’ to Arjun! Congress coined Hindu/Saffron terror, opposed Ram Mandir, Questioned Ram JI’s existence, said Hindutva=ISIS,” Poonawalla said.

After AAP’s Gopal Italia & Rajendra Pal, not to be outdone in Hindu hatred & votebank politics,Congress’ Shivraj Patil says Shri Krishna taught “Jihad” to Arjun!

Congress coined Hindu/Saffron terror, opposed Ram Mandir,Questioned Ram JI’s existence, said Hindutva = ISIS 1/n pic.twitter.com/Xiw7v4mgHa

— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) October 20, 2022

He added: “This Hindu hatred is not a sanyog but a Votebank ka Prayog — it is a deliberate ploy before Gujarat polls to polarise a votebank. Earlier “Janeudhari” Rahul Gandhi also said things about Hindutva; said LeT less dangerous than Hindu groups; Digvijaya blamed 26/11 on Hindus.”

Condemning Patil, Delhi BJP spokesperson Vinit Goenka said, “Such appeasement politics by hurting Sanatan Dharma is unimaginable. Does INC President @kharge ji agree with this statement. Shows the Bharat Todo Mentality of @INCIndia @RahulGandhi”

I strongly condemn former HM of India Shivraj Patil for misquoting Shrimad Bhagwat Gita . Such appeasement politics by hurting Sanatan Dharma is unimaginable. Does INC President @kharge ji agree with this statement.
Shows the Bharat Todo Mentality of @INCIndia @RahulGandhi https://t.co/3J4IcoDfWX

— Vinit Goenka (@vinitgoenka) October 20, 2022

BJP national spokesperson Prem Shukla alleged that the “Congress has long been involved in the conspiracy to insult Hindu, Hindutva and Hindustan”.

On Friday, Patil clarified, saying that he was not the one to use the term jihad. News agency ANI quoted him as saying: “It is you who is calling it jihad. Would you call Krishna’s lessons to Arjun, Jihad? No. That is what I said”.

Reacting to the clarification, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said, “After comparing Shri Krishna’s message to Arjun-Holy Geeta with Jihad now Shivraj Patil is defending his statement with excuses rather than outright apology -This shows the statement was not a Sanyog but done for a Votebank prayog on instructions of Congress! Hence they won’t act”.

As per ANI, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said, “What Shivraj Patil said is a symbol of their party’s perverse & disgusting mindset. Bal Gangadhar Tilak saw Karma Yog Shastra in Gita & Mahatma Gandhi saw Anasakti. But people of Rahul Gandhi’s Congress see Jihad in it.”

Distancing the party from the remarks, the Congress’s general secretary and communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh said, “My senior colleague Shivraj Patil reportedly made some comments on Bhagavad Gita that’s unacceptable. Subsequently, he clarified. @INCIndia’s stand is clear. Bhagavad Gita is a key foundational pillar of Indian civilisation. Here’s an excerpt from Nehru’s Discovery of India”.

Incidentally, I learned Bhagavad Gita in my early teens and have had a life-long fascination with it as a cultural & philosophical text, with a profound influence on Indian society over the ages. I wrote about this in my book The Light of Asia: The Poem that defined the Buddha. https://t.co/dLV7964JPQ

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) October 21, 2022

He also shared an excerpt on the Gita from former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s book The Discovery of India. “The message of the Gita is not sectarian or addressed to any particular school of thought. It is universal in its approach for everyone, Brahmin or outcaste. ‘All paths lead to me,’ it says. It is because of this universality that it has found favour with all classes and schools…,” the excerpt reads.

A little later, the former environment minister tweeted about how he discovered the Gita. “I learned Bhagavad Gita in my early teens and have had a life-long fascination with it as a cultural & philosophical text, with a profound influence on Indian society over the ages. I wrote about this in my book The Light of Asia: The Poem that defined the Buddha.”

(With inputs from PTI)