MEERUT: A day after Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s call to end Ravana-like social evils and terrorism, a Uttar Pradesh minister stirred controversy by equating the PM with the demon king himself.
Labour welfare advisor of state minister rank
Mohammad Abbas, when asked for his comment on Modi’s Lucknow speech on the occasion of
Dussehra, said, “Those whose policies are a reflection of Ravana’s evil designs, how can they come into UP and make a call to end
Ravana
?”
Without directly taking the PM’s name, Abbas said, “Just as Ravana had a Lanka of gold but the common man was the most troubled of the lot, today Adani and Ambani are being benefitted while the lowest of the lot is struggling for survival. On the contrary, it was Lord Rama who sat with a poor woman like Shabari and ate her berries. A true Ram Rajya is the one that takes care of the poor.”
When asked if he was directly referring to Modi as Ravana, he said, “If our CM will be referred to as Ravana then would you expect us to refer to Modi as Rama or Krishna?”
“On one hand the central government has adopted the policy of appeasement of the biggest business houses of the country and on the other hand in UP, most of the policies and schemes are centred around welfare of the downtrodden. Now you only decide, who is Ravana? No matter what they (
BJP) do, SP will come back to power once again.”
BJP was quick in its response. The party’s UP vice-president Suresh Rana said, “I can only say that Ravana symbolizes a way of governance characterised by lawlessness, presence of rapists and those who patronize them. When girls in Aligarh refuse to go to school and colleges, it is because of presence of Ravanas at every corner of the route. Ravana symbolizes a state where when a 14-year-old girl is gang-raped and then a minister says it’s a conspiracy. When a girl is violated, the national president of Samajwadi Party says, ‘boys do commit mistakes’.
SP is actually the demon we know as Ravana and it needs to be removed to establish Ram Rajya.”
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.Sandeep Rai is a veteran journalist with two decades of experienc...
Read MoreSandeep Rai is a veteran journalist with two decades of experience in the reporting field. He heads the Western Uttar Pradesh bureau, managing Meerut, Bareilly & Agra circles. His areas of interest are wildlife, politics and special reportage.
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