If Hindu visits Ajmer Dargah…: Farooq Abdullah differs with Mehbooba on bhajans in schools
After PDP president Mehbooba Mufti slammed the BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir over its order of singing bhajans in schools, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah has begged to differ.
“We didn’t believe in two-nation theory. India is not communal and India is secular. I am chanting bhajan. If I am chanting bhajan, is it wrong?” Farooq Abdullah said as quoted by news agency ANI.
“If a Hindu visits Ajmer Dargah, then will he or she be transformed into a Muslim?” he parried.
MEHBOOBA SLAMS BJP’S ‘HINDUTVA’ AGENDA
On Monday (September 19), Mehbooba Mufti tweeted a video in which staff at a school Kashmir were making students recite the famous hymn ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’, considered Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajan, in a classroom.
“Jailing religious scholars, shutting down Jama Masjid and directing school kids here to sing Hindu hymns exposes the real Hindutva agenda of GOI in Kashmir,” Mehbooba said in a caption to the video.
India Today did a fact-check on the government order and as per the documents, the recitation of ‘Raghupati Raghav…’ was part of a series of activities that are taking place to mark the 153rd birth anniversary of the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi. Since ‘Raghupati Raghav…’ was one of the favourite bhajans of Gandhiji, that’s why it was part of the celebrations.
BJP HITS OUT AT MEHBOOBA
The former J&K chief minister’s allegations elicited a sharp reaction from the ruling BJP. Jammu and Kashmir unit president Ravinder Raina accused Mufti of “poisioning young minds” for vested political interests.
“Mehbooba should avoid playing such type of politics. She has lost her ground in Kashmir and people of the Valley rejected her. She is coming out with such a conspiracy (to regain her place),” Raina said.
Mufti had gone on to oppose the ban on Dastar Bandi ceremonies in the Union Territory and accused the BJP government of dismantling all religious and Sufi traditions of Kashmir to “implement its divisive agenda”.