BJP lawmaker Parvesh Verma on Monday accused the opposition parties of practicing vote bank politics and called upon opposition members to raise the slogan of "Jai Shri Ram" saying it is not a symbol of religion but of the culture of the country.
As he initiating the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address in Lok Sabha, Opposition members walked out in a large group.
Verma continued with his speech and said the original copy of the Constitution contained images of Lord Ram, Lord Krishna and Lord Hanuman.
He said a grand Ram Temple will be constructed at Ayodhya and urged members to raise the slogan of "Jai Shri Ram".
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"All your sins will be washed away. Say Jai Shri Ram. I urge opposition members to say Jai Shri Ram. Jai Shri Ram is not a symbol of religion, it is a symbol of our culture," he said.
"Shaheen Bagh protest against the CAA is anti-national as the protesters demand for separation of Assam and Jammu and Kashmir from India. They want Jinnah's azadi... This is not Rajiv Feroze Khan's government. It is Narendra Modi's government... CAA will not be rolled back," Verma said referring to an unestablished claim that Indira Nehru had married a Muslim named Feroze Khan.
Official history, contrary to Verma's claim, says Indira Nehru married Feroze Gandhi, a Parsi, in a Hindu ceremony at the Nehrus’ ancestral home.
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Verma said the entire opposition should say 'Jai Shri Ram'. He also referred to a Trinamool Congress member and urged him to raise the slogan.
Verma, who is the MP from West Delhi, also took repeated digs at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during his speech. Delhi will go to the polls on February 8.
Verma had been barred from campaigning in Delhi elections for 96 hours by the Election Commission last month following controversial remarks over anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh.
(With agency inputs)
