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NCP-SCP MLA Jitendra Awhad has sparked a fresh row by saying that Sanatan Dharma has "ruined India" and calling its ideology "perverted." His comments came after all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts were acquitted by a special NIA court, reigniting the political debate over the term "saffron terror."
Addressing reporters, Awhad said, "Sanatan Dharma has ruined India. There was never any religion called Sanatan Dharma. We are followers of Hindu Dharma. It was this so-called Sanatan Dharma that denied our Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj his coronation. This Sanatan Dharma defamed our Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. The followers of this Sanatan Dharma tried to assassinate Jyotirao Phule." He added, "They threw cow dung and filth at Savitribai Phule. This very Sanatan Dharma conspired to kill Shahu Maharaj. It did not even allow Dr BR Ambedkar to drink water or attend school. It was Babasaheb Ambedkar who finally rose against Sanatan Dharma, burned the Manusmriti, and rejected its oppressive traditions. The creator of Manusmriti himself emerged from this Sanatani tradition. One must not be afraid to say openly that Sanatan Dharma and its Sanatani ideology are perverted." Meanwhile, BJP MP Sambit Patra, in a press conference on Friday, targeted the Congress over the use of terms like "saffron terror" and "Sanatan terrorist." "Senior Congress leader Prithiviraj Chauhan has said two things- terrorism has no religion, which symbolises appeasement... In the same breath, he goes on to say the term Hindu terrorist or Sanatan terrorist... Sushil Kumar Shinde used the term 'saffron terror' in one of their conclave. A few years ago, when he was asked if he still felt it was right to use the word 'saffron terror', he smiled and said he was asked to use the term by the party leadership... We all know who he was talking about.He was pressurised by the Gandhi family into using the term 'saffron terror',"he said. On Thursday, Mumbai's NIA special court acquitted all seven accused of being involved in the 2008 Malegaon blasts, with the court saying that the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond a reasonable doubt. The NIA court has also ordered the Maharashtra government to award Rs 2 lakh compensation to the families of the victims and Rs 50,000 compensation to the injured. A total of seven people were accused, including former BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhankar Dhar Dwivedi (Shankaracharya) and Sameer Kulkarni. "All bail bonds of the accused are cancelled and sureties are discharged," the NIA special court said.The court had examined 323 prosecution witnesses and eight defence witnesses before pronouncing the verdict. The seven people have been acquitted of all charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and all other charges. On September 29, 2008, six people were killed and 95 others injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon City's Bhikku Chowk.Originally, 11 people were accused in the case; however, the court ultimately framed charges against 7, including former BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya. (ANI)
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