New Delhi, Oct 7 Senior Congress leader Udit Raj on Tuesday blamed "Sanatanis" for the attempt to attack Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai inside the Supreme Court, claiming that the growing influence of Sanatan ideology was behind such incidents.
The incident took place on Monday when senior advocate Rakesh Kishore allegedly tried to disrupt proceedings in the courtroom by attempting to throw an object at the CJI Gavai-led Bench.
Security personnel immediately intervened and took him out of the courtroom. As he was being taken away, Kishore shouted slogans in defence of Sanatan Dharma.
Reacting to the development, Udit Raj told IANS, "The leadership has its influence. Day and night, on television, there are only talks of 'Sanatan'. Therefore, it will surely leave its impact. Godse was also a Sanatani. Those demanding a Hindu Rashtra are Sanatanis. People who killed Gauri Lankesh were also Sanatani. Even the lawyer who made a failed attempt to throw a shoe at CJI Gavai was a Sanatani. There is a list of Sanatanis here."
The Congress leader went on to draw a comparison between India and Pakistan, saying that if religious figures had interfered in governance after independence, India would have fared worse than the neighbouring country.
"If, after independence, the 'Babas' had interfered in governance, India's condition would have been worse than Pakistan's. At least, Pakistan has one religion which ties its country together. Here, if 'Babas' had assumed power, everything would have been ruined. The murder of the Dalit youth in Raebareli was also done by the goons of 'Baba'," he said.
The controversy came just weeks after CJI Gavai faced criticism for his "go and ask the deity itself" remark while hearing a plea related to the restoration of a damaged Vishnu idol in the Khajuraho complex in Madhya Pradesh.
Meanwhile, Rakesh Kishore, who was detained after the courtroom incident, expressed no remorse over his actions.
Speaking to IANS, he said, "I said this in court, and I will say it again -- India will not tolerate the insult of Sanatan Dharma."
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