BJP asks Samajwadi leader Azam Khan to ‘mind his language’

PATNA: BJP has taken strong exception to Azam Khan’s “Bajrang Ali” remark and advised the Samajwadi Party leader to mind his language. BJP’s firebrand leader and party’s Begusarai nominee Giriraj Singh on Saturday said he will visit Azam’s place Rampur in Uttar Pradesh after the Lok Sabha elections to teach him a lesson.

“Azam Khan first insulted PM Narendra Modi and now he is insulting our God. Let me be done with elections in Begusarai, then I will come to Rampur and tell who Bajrang Bali actually is,” Giriraj tweeted.

BJP’s national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain asked Azam to mind his language as others have paid “a heavy price” for using similar derogatory language. “I would like to tell Azam to mind his language. Your tongue is quite long and the people in UP have taught a lesson to Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav for it. The kind of language Azam Khan used indicates that he wants to create communal tension,” Shahnawaz said.

He added: “Today is Ram Navami. We are extending greetings to each other and Azam Khan is calling Bajrang Bali, Bajrang Ali; what kind of language is this? I would also like to ask why Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind or Darul Uloom Deoband, which keep saying on every issue, are keeping mum on this issue.”

Incidentally, in an apparent dig at UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Azam told a public meeting at Rampur on Thursday that “in place of Ali and Bajrangbali, it should be Bajrang Ali”.

“Bajrang Ali todd day dushman ki nali (Bajrang Ali will destroy our enemies’ bones),” said Azam, who is contesting from Rampur parliamentary constituency.

Azam made the remark after UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s statement recently that the ongoing Lok Sabha election is a contest between ‘Ali’ (a revered figure in Islam) and Bajrangbali (a name of Hindu God Hanuman).

“Agar Congress, SP, BSP ko ‘Ali’ par vishwaas hai toh humein bhi ‘Bajrang Bali’ par vishwaas hai (If the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party have faith in Ali, we have also faith in Bajrang Bali),” the UP CM had said at Meerut on April 9.

Incidentally, the Election Commission of India has also issued a show-cause notice to Adityanath on April 11 after finding him prima facie guilty of violation of the model code of conduct.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati too took to Twitter and said it was “unfortunate” that people were “creating hatred for narrow political gains”. “Greetings & good wishes to the people for peaceful & prosperous life on Ram Navami. When people are happily remembering the ideals of Shri Ram, it is unfortunate that an attempt is being made to create confrontation & hatred between Bajrang Bali & Ali for narrow political gains,” Mayawati tweeted.