Veteran Congress leader and former chief minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat, in response to BJP veteran Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s remarks that he is ‘ekluwa vaanar’ (lone monkey), says that he takes pride in this derogatory remark as Lord Hanuman was also a monkey who destroyed the unethical and unjust rule of Ravana in Lanka.
“In Indian tradition, Lord Hanuman was also a monkey. He is worshipped as a God. He destroyed Lanka. I will do the same,” Rawat spoke on phone from Nainital, from where he is contesting the forthcoming Lok Sabha election against BJP’s state head Ajay Bhat.
He criticised the BJP for projecting itself as the epitome of Indian culture and tradition but doing just the opposite.
Advertisement
“Tolerance and respect are an inseparable part of Indian culture. BJP doesn’t have either. In the past three years, the kind of inferior and foul language they used against Rahul Gandhi and Gandhi family, it shows that they can stoop to any low,” Rawat said.
‘Ekluwa Vaanar’ is used for a species of monkey found in Uttarakhand which prefers to live alone and intimidates other monkeys and animals.
Rawat says that he respects Koshiyari as his elder brother, so he will prefer to call him ‘Bheega Hua Ghughuta’ (a spotted bird with wet wings), perhaps a reference for Koshiyari who didn’t get BJP ticket this time. Koshiyari is aggressively campaigning for his party candidate Bhat.
Advertisement
A four-time MP and Cabinet minister in UPA-II, Rawat says that he is adhered to Gandhian thoughts and wears “criticism, abusive language and foul wordings of my rivals as garland.”
“These insulting remarks will be blessings for me in the coming election,” said Rawat.
