The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh has lashed out at the Congress for allegedly tweeting a picture of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with the caption 'Mama ka Shraddh', even as the opposition party denied that it had posted any such tweet.
Shraddh is a ritual performed by Hindus to pay homage to their ancestors during the 'Pitru Paksha' period which is currently underway.
Chouhan's son Kartikeya Singh on Tuesday shared on X a screenshot of an alleged post tweeted by the handle @WithCongress. It carried a picture of CM Chouhan with the line 'Mama ka Shraddh' and noted that the BJP announced ticket for Chouhan for the assembly elections during the period of Shraddh.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan is fondly called 'mama' (maternal uncle in Hindi) in the state.
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Kartikeya expressed displeasure over the post, which he said paid homage to his father who is alive. "I also feel pity for you people, how low the Congressmen have fallen today. Do you think God will forgive you for this?" he said.
The chief minister himself tweeted about the post on Wednesday, stating, "What can be expected from Congress which always abuses Sanatan Dharma. If the power-hungry Congress has to perform Shraddh, then it should perform this ritual for its frustrated thinking and bad values."
"Shraddh is a ritual performed in Hindu and other Indian religions....Which is done to express reverence and gratitude towards the ancestors and to remember them. The sins that the Congress Party is continuously committing regarding dharma and karma, make it clear that their mental balance is not good.... please give wisdom to these Congressmen," he said.
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Later in the evening, speaking at an election rally in Bhopal, CM Chouhan again touched on the issue and said that Congress leaders were saying his name day and night.
“I am Shivraj, who serves the people. Even if I die, I will come to life again like the phoenix bird from the ashes to serve my people. To those praying for my Shraddh, I pray to God to give them a long life and may they be happy,” he said.
State Congress chief Kamal Nath, meanwhile, responded on X, stating that his party had not tweeted any such post. "Dear Shivraj ji, may God give you a long life. I don't understand why you see the Congress party behind everything. No such tweet as you mentioned has been posted by the Congress," he said.
Chouhan can take legal action against the person who tweeted the post if he wishes so, Nath said, "Accusing the Congress party without any factual basis is the lowest level of politics. Spreading false propaganda to gain sympathy is not ethical," he said.
It was the BJP which gave ticket to Chouhan during the Shraddh period and not the Congress, Nath, a former chief minister, added. "You (Chouhan) know very well that you have personal enemies in your own party and they are leaving no stone unturned to harm you. It will be better to establish discipline in your party rather than making false allegations against others. May God grant you a healthy and long life," he added.
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Polling for 230 assembly seats in MP will be held on November 17 while counting is scheduled for December 3.
