New Delhi: Continuing his temple run in poll-bound Gujarat, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi revealed that he is a devout disciple of Lord Shiva. After offering prayers at Vir Meghmaya temple in Patan, Mr Gandhi said, “Main Shiv ka bhakt hoon, sachaai mein believe karta hoon. BJP jo bhi bole, main apni sachaai mein believe karta hu, (I am a devotee of Shiva and I believe in truth. Whatever BJP says, I believe in my truth).” Mr Gandhi is on his fourth visit to Gujarat to participate in Navsarjan Yatra organised by the Congress. All his trips to Gujarat have included visits to temples, starting with the Dwarkadhish temple. He also visited the Swaminarayan temple and Ambaji temple, among others.
The BJP has been criticising Mr Gandhi for his visits to temples in the state and has dubbed them as “election stunt”. On Monday, BJP national secretary Bhupender Yadav, attacking the Congress leader’s recent temple visits, said, “Star campaigner of Congress Rahul Gandhi is visiting temples and offering prayers which is good as it is a part of Indian culture. However, this must come naturally to a person and not only during elections.”
In the current campaign the Congress is trying hard to shed the image of being a pro-minority party. Hence, in all the four phases of the Congress’ Navsarjan Yatra, Mr Gandhi has not just visited prominent temples of the region, but has also been seen taking an active part in aarti ritual. He also visited the popular “garbha” event in Rajkot during Navratara. Critics of the Congress have termed the current approach of the Congress as “soft Hindutva”.
