"Some Small Leader": AAP's Raghav Chadha On DMK Leader's 'Sanatana' Remark

AAP leader Raghav Chadha on Tuesday condemned DMK leader Udayanidhi Stalin's remark on Sanatana Dharma and said statements made by some "small" leader from any party cannot be considered the official stand of the INDIA bloc.

"I am from Sanatana Dharma. I condemn and oppose such statements. Such kind of statements should not be made. One should stay away from making such remarks on any religion. We should respect all religions," Mr Chadha told PTI in an interview.

The BJP has been attacking the INDIA alliance after Mr Stalin recently blamed Sanatana Dharma for promoting division and discrimination among people, and called for its eradication. On Tuesday, the BJP accused the INDIA bloc of having a hidden agenda to target Sanatana Dharma for vote bank politics.

When asked about the issue, Mr Chadha asserted, "Some leader from some party makes such remarks... it doesn't mean it is the statement of the alliance. The alliance has been formed for raising big issues like price rise and unemployment facing the country. The statement made by some small leader, from a district in a state, is not the official stand of the alliance." 

Over two dozen Opposition parties have formed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to take on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Mr Chadha is a member of the 14-member coordination committee, which is the top decision-making body of the INDIA bloc. A meeting of the committee will be held at the residence of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar in Delhi on Wednesday.

"The meeting will see a discussion on the issues that we will raise, how we will reach out to people on them, through rallies or door-to-door campaign, public rally, along with dynamics in states. All states are different and that is how we celebrate our diversity. Electoral colour is different. We will discuss it state-wise," he said.

"Every political party will have to sacrifice three things to make this alliance successful - ambition (mahatvakanksha), difference of opinion (matbhed) and manbhed," he added.

He said there could also be discussions during the INDIA bloc meeting on issues to be raised by their MPs in the upcoming special session of parliament.

When asked about the names of the prime ministerial probables of the opposition alliance, he said the first thing is that the AAP is not in the race.

"We are a loyal soldier in this alliance. We are not in the race to become PM. We have many able administrators in our alliance. We have many competent people. But can someone in NDA stand up and say they want Nitin Gadkari to become PM or Amit Shah to become the prime minister? I just want to prove here that we have many able administrators. They don't have anyone. They can only take the name of one leader," he said.

Probed further, he said, "The alliance will take a decision (on a prime ministerial name). Even the alliance formed in 1977 did not have a declared PM face yet they won the elections against Indira Gandhi. I see a repeat of that happening in 2024 Lok Sabha polls." 

In the recently held bypolls, results for which were announced on Friday, INDIA bloc parties won four seats - Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Dumri in Jharkhand, West Bengal's Dhupguri and Kerala's Puthuppally - while the BJP won two seats in Tripura and Bageshwar in Uttarakhand.

In the Bageshwar Assembly seat, BJP candidate Parwati Dass defeated Basant Kumar of the Congress by a margin of 2,321 votes.

"Whenever there will be a fight between INDIA and NDA, INDIA will win. It will happen in 2024 also," he said, adding that INDIA is a "formidable" alliance while NDA is a "theoretical" alliance.

The senior leader claimed that the "chemistry" and "arithmetic" of the INDIA bloc is being seen on the ground and people are taking the alliance forward.

"The BJP has changed the name of the country. It shows its fear of the INDIA alliance. I want to tell them that this country and its name is not their ancestral inheritance but a country of 135 crore people. This proves that BJP does not love India or Bharat but only loves power," he claimed.

Mr Chadha had been suspended from the Rajya Sabha following claims that he included the names of four House members in a proposed select committee on the Delhi services bill without their consent.

"I have submitted my reply to the Privileges Committee and they will decide," he said.

Mr Chadha also said that he hoped that the opposition MPs will be allowed to speak in the special session of parliament. "It is very strange that nobody knows the agenda. Only two people in BJP know it." 

Another DMK leader, A Raja, had also likened Sanatana Dharma to diseases like leprosy and HIV, which had a social stigma attached to them.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)