Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi, a minister in the BSP government in 2007, joined the BJP before assembly elections in 2017.
The Election Commission Tuesday registered a complaint against Uttar Pradesh minister Nand Gopal Nandi for comparing BSP chief Mayawati to Ravana’s sister Surpanakha in a public rally in Phulpur.
Nandi made the “derogatory” remarks at a public rally in Allahabad’s Dhoomanganj on Sunday where he also said SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav was Ravan and his son Akhilesh was Meghnad, prompting sharp criticism from both parties. BSP zonal leaders have even filed a complaint with police and demanded a case be registered against Nandi. Nandi, a minister in the BSP government in 2007, joined the BJP before assembly elections in 2017.
With UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on stage during the rally, Nandi read out a from a script he had prepared based on the Ramayana on Sunday. In his speech, the character of Ram, “as Narendra Modi”, accompanied by Hanuman “as Yogi Adityanath”, converse with fellow mythological characters about who they will be reborn as in Kalyug.
“Ravan asked Ram, ‘Hei prabhu who will I become?’ Ram said, ‘Your name will be Mulayam and you will be the chief minister of the state’. Just then Kumbhakaran spoke, ‘Hei prabhu, what will my name be?’ That’s when Ram said, ‘You will be known as Shivpal and you will always remain a minister of the state’,” Nandi said.
“Then Meghnad approached and asked who he, a prince, will be reborn as and Ram said, ‘You will always remain a prince and be born as Akhilesh. In 2012, just once by cheating the public, you will become the chief minister of the state and you will be the last of this family to rule’. Surpanakha then asked what will become of her?Bhagwan Ram said, ‘You in Kalyug will rule over my Ayodhya as Mayawati’,” he said in his speech.
BSP chief zonal coordinator (Allahabad-Varanasi) Ashok Kumar Gautam in his complaint to police alleged Nandi, by comparing former UP chief minister Mayawati to “the fictional demon character of the Hindu religion’s Ramayana epic Surpanakha, has insulted and hurt the religious sentiments of Behen Kumari Mayawati and all members of Scheduled Castes and backward castes. This illegal speech amounts to an offence under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.”
Gautam told The Indian Express, “This is the lowest and dirtiest levels Nandi has dropped to, speaking in such a derogatory manner of the sister who has been there for him at every stage.”SSP (Allahabad) Akash Kulhary said police were yet to register a case.
Meanwhile, a human rights lawyer, Charlie Prakash, on Monday filed a complaint of “violation of the model code of conduct” against Nandi with the Election Commission.
While the Election Commission registered the complaint, Nandi was unavailable for comment.
UP Health Minister Siddharth Nath Singh was on the defensive. “I believe that the BJP’s views of any opposition leader, whether big or small, is that of respect. We respect them all and those are the views Nandi ji holds. That’s said, if Nandiji has made comments during elections speeches, you must ask him about them,” he said.
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