DEHRADUN: Be it the ruling party or the opposition in Uttarakhand, whenever they get an issue or an opportunity, they do not miss out on taking political advantage of it. The latest episode is between Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress President Karan Mehra.
State Congress President Mahara went with great enthusiasm to present the 'prasad' of Badrinath Dham to his party's national president and at the same time, thinking that these memorable moments would also be captured in pictures, a photo was also taken on this occasion, which went viral on social media in no time.
By the time the Congress realised that Khadke's style, body language and gestures while taking the 'prasad' were not devotional, the picture that went viral on social media gave the Bharatiya Janata Party a "lofted issue" and the saffron brigade left no stone unturned to corner the Congress. The BJP has termed Khadke's style of taking prasad as an insult to 80 crore Sanatani Hindus.
BJP spokesperson Manbir Singh Chauhan told The New Indian Express, "The whole country has seen how the Congress national president disrespected the prasad of Badrinath Dham, it shows the mental state of the Congress party leader."
Clarifying on the issue, Congress chief spokesperson Garima Dasoni said, "Kharge meets hundreds of people every day and gets tired like this, sitting and taking prasad is not a crime." She further added that "he touched the prasad on his forehead and then asked the staff to keep that prasad in the cupboard, his feeling and respect for Char Dham has not diminished in any way."
