Abusing Sanatan Dharma: Venkatesh Prasad on Congress's possible election loss
Former cricketer Venkatesh Prasad took a veiled dig at the Congress Party and its allies following their poor performance in three states: Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. Without naming any party, he indicated that the Sanatan Dharma row was responsible for the Congress's dismal performance. Prasad also commended Prime Minister Narendra Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah's leadership in his post on X.
Why does this story matter?
A political row erupted in September over the targeting of the Hindu faith. While addressing a conference, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Udhayanidhi Stalin compared Sanatan Dharma to diseases like dengue, malaria, and COVID-19, triggering widespread criticism from several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders. However, Congress's Priyank Kharge came to his defense. Later, both the leaders were booked by the Uttar Pradesh Police following a complaint. Prime Minister Modi also spoke over the issue, saying it needed a "proper response."
Prasad credits PM Modi, Amit Shah for possible victory
In his post on X, Prasad wrote, "Abusing Sanatana Dharma was bound to have its consequences. Many congratulations to the BJP for a landslide victory." "Just another testimony of the amazing leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah and great work by the party cadre at the grassroot levels," he said. His post came shortly after early assembly election result trends showed that the BJP was leading in three of the four states: Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh.
Former cricketer's post on X
BJP leading in 3 states, Congress in Telangana
Notably, BJP President JP Nadda has also questioned Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi about their position on hate against Sanatan Dharma being sold in the name of "mohabbat ki dukan" (Shop of love). As per the ECI, the BJP has achieved a comfortable lead in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. On the other hand, the Congress was on track to defeat the incumbent Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana.
