Bhopal: After emerging as a major poll issue in the outgoing Karnataka assembly elections, Bajrangbali has been caught in the crossfire between the ruling BJP and Opposition Congress in the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.
Five days after chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan laid the foundation for the grand Rs 314 crore Hanuman temple corridor at Samariya under the Sausar assembly constituency, being represented by MP PCC president Kamal Nath, Congress on Tuesday organised mega ‘Hanuman Chalism’ recital events in the party offices across the state in protest against the alleged attempt by Mr Chouhan to ‘mislead’ the people on the project.
“The party has held ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ recitals and ‘Sundarkand’ events across Madhya Pradesh in protest against the false promise made by the chief minister to build Hanuman Lok or corridor in Samariya”, Congress spokesman K K Mishra said.
The local Congress workers and leaders gathered at the Congress offices in their respective areas in the state to hold the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ recital and Sundarkand events.
Several senior Congress leaders participated in the event in the state party headquarters here.
State Congress president Mr Nath’s photograph was put at a ‘strategic place’ when the event was being held.
Hundreds of workers and leaders participated in the day-long event in the party offices in the state, a senior Congress functionary said.
Reacting to the development, BJP spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedi said, “It clearly shows that Mr Nath is apprehensive that his move to play soft Hindu card in the polls by projecting him as a staunch devotee of Hanuman will be foiled by the Hanuman corridor project.”
In the outgoing Karnataka assembly elections, BJP had raised the issue of the promise made by Congress to ban Bajrang Dal, prominently accusing the grand old party of disrespecting Lord Hanuman.
