Union Minister Vijay Goel on Tuesday claimed that there was “resentment” in the Capital’s Valmiki community against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after it raised allegations of conversion to Islam against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) North West Delhi candidate Hans Raj Hans.
Mr. Goel and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh also staged a demonstration along with members from the community at the Maharishi Valmiki Mandir on Panchkuian Road.
“Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal had falsely accused BJP’s north west Delhi candidate Hans Raj Hans of converting to Islam. AAP leader Rajendra Pal Gautam and Kejriwal alleged on social media that Hans Raj Hans is not a Valmiki but a Muslim. The AAP leaders have reduced political discourse to the lowest possible level,” the Union Minister alleged.
“Not just in Delhi but across the country, there is huge resentment among Valmikis against the AAP and Kejriwal. The claim that Hans Raj Hans has accepted Islam turned out untrue in every inquiry,” Mr. Goel claimed adding that he intended to move the SC/ST Commission in this regard.
Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, terming the allegation a “humiliation to the descendants of Maharishi Valmiki” argued that the resentment in the community on this count was “justified.”
Mr. Singh also called for a boycott of AAP by the community across the country.
“Most of the Dalits in Parliament are from the BJP and the resentment among Valmikis is justified. The Valmiki community should boycott the Aam Aadmi Party and should show black flags to AAP workers,” Mr. Singh demanded.
Mr. Goel alleged that this “conspiracy” against Mr. Hans was “hatched by sharing a wilfully-edited video with misleading information.”
The truth of the video is that Hans Raj Hans was sharing the teachings of Shaikh-Ul-Islam, Mohammed Tahir-Ul-Qadri on his 67th birth anniversary to pay respect to him. The video was deliberately edited in the manner to make it seem as if Hans Raj Hans is spreading information on Islam, and not the teachings,” Mr. Goel argued.