Now everyone is saying 'I am a practicing Hindu, said BJP's Prakash Javadekar (FILE)
BJP leader Prakash Javadekar on Monday said it was "strange" that those who allegedly issued orders of firing on devotees of Lord Ram were today claiming that they will build the Ram Temple faster.
He was speaking in Rajya Sabha during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address.
Targeting the Samajwadi Party, Mr Javadekar said: "A fellow (member) said they will build the Ram Temple more quickly.
"It is strange that those who issued orders of shooting on devotees of Lord Ram are talking about the Ram Temple today," he said in an apparent reference to the firing on kar sewaks in Ayodhya during the Mulayam Singh Yadav government.
Referring to Ram Setu, Javadekar claimed that (those part of) the party whose government gave an affidavit in court that Lord Ram was a fictional character is now saying they will build the Ram Temple quickly.
"Now everyone is saying 'I am a practicing Hindu'," the former union minister said.
On Covaxin, Mr Javadekar said some people called the COVID-19 vaccine the ''BJP's vaccine" and refused to take it but when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took Covaxin it silenced all the critics globally.
Referring to Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge's address, Mr Javadekar said Mr Kharge referred to the erstwhile National Advisory Council chaired by Congress President Sonia Gandhi and said the Manmohan Singh led UPA government implemented all its suggestions.
Mr Javadekar said this statement by Kharge proves who was the de facto prime minister at the time and who was de jure.
However, Mr Kharge who was present in the Upper House countered this assertion and asked Mr Javadekar not to misinterpret his remarks.
Mr Kharge said he was referring to the Food Security Act which was implemented by then prime minister Manmohan Singh after intense discussion and agreement by all parties in the UPA, after its then Chairperson (Sonia Gandhi) said the Act was needed.
To this, Mr Javadekar said the Food Security Act was implemented only in nine states by the Congress-led UPA government but at present it has been rolled out in all states of the country with Rs 1.8 lakh crore subsidy disbursed under the scheme.
Referring to Congress leader Digvijaya Singh's speech, Mr Javadekar said he claimed that subsidies have been reduced in the present regime when in fact the theft of subsidy has been plugged by the government.
Participating in the debate, Minister for State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said that the country has progressed under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.
Rakesh Sinha (BJP Nominated) accused the Congress party of being soft towards China.
It led to heated exchanges between Congress leaders and treasury benches.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)