Congress MLA's Remark On Ram Idol Sidetracks Uttarakhand Civil Code Debate
NDTV
State minister Prem Chand Aggarwal accused the Congress of votebank politics
The debate on the Uniform Civil Code Bill in Uttarakhand Assembly today was side-tracked by a Congress MLA's remark on the complexion of Ram Lalla's idol in the Ayodhya Ram Temple. The remark and the retaliation from the treasury benches led to chaotic scenes and sloganeering in the House.
Adesh Singh Chauhan, Congress MLA from Jaspur, was speaking on the legislation when he referred to the grand temple in Ayodhya. "The parliamentary work minister made several references to the temple. We welcome the construction of the temple too. But what I could not understand is that we had read in books that our Ram was 'saanvla' -- meaning dusky -- but they made him 'kaala' (black)," he said.
The remark sparked a huge row, with BJP ministers and legislators protesting against the Congress MLA. Prem Chand Aggarwal, finance and parliamentary work minister, hit out at Mr Chauhan, questioning how he can make this remark on Lord Ram. The Congress MLA kept arguing as BJP legislators raised Jai Shri Ram slogans.
