New Delhi: The BJP has landed in a fresh controversy in the UP election field after it was reported that party workers distributed pocket-size copies of Srimad Bhagvad Gita and janeyu (sacred thread worn by Brahmins) at an election meeting addressed by former UP chief minister and BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kalyan Singh in Varanasi on Sunday evening.
The new controversy coming in the wake of the 'communal CD' episode has dealt a serious blow to the saffron party, which was projected to be doing better than the ruling Samajwadi Party as per the exit polls during the last five phases.
According to reports reaching here, a group of young BJP leaders led by state general secretary of BJP's cultural cell Gyan Prakash Mishra distributed pocket-size copies of the sacred scripture as well as the yellow janeyu even as Kalyan Singh delivered a fiery speech to galvanise people at a place called Maidagin in Varanasi.
According to UNI, Gyan Prakash Mishra admitted having distributing the Gita at the meeting. "There is nothing wrong in distributing Srimad Bhagvad Gita and 'janeyu' as they are the two eyes of the Hindutva philosophy. It was distributed only to put a slap on the faces of those, who are dividing Hindus by pursuing the politics of casteism," UNI quoted him as saying.
Mishra admitted that the meeting of Kalyan Singh, who is revered by Hindus as the 'hero of the Ayodhya movement', was the perfect place to start integrating the divided Hindu society with the sacred scripture and thread.
Besides, the BJP volunteers and a man dressed as 'Lord Hanuman' could also be spotted distributing the twin religious possessions among the gathering, especially when the audience shouted slogan of "Har Har Mahadev" to welcome Singh.
Kalyan Singh, however, expressed ignorance about the issue, saying: ''I have no information about anything like this at the meeting."
Additional District Magistrate (ADM-City) Indra Vikram Singh, however, said that the incident prima facie does not seem to be a violation of the model code of conduct. "It does not amount to bribing or luring the voters to vote for any candidate or party, but we will gather all factual details of the matter and then take appropriate action,'' he said.
Mishra claimed the exercise was carried out to "save the Hindu society from division at the hands of politicians indulging in caste-based politics, especially by Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati."
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