If you sing Mahatma Gandhi's favourite bhajan, Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram, at a BJP event, beware.
Bihar folk singer Devi learnt that the hard way at 'Main Atal Rahunga', an event in Patna celebrating the late former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary on December 25.
A section of the crowd became agitated when Devi sang the part of the bhajan that goes: Ishwar-Allah Tero Naam, Sabko sanmati de bhagwan [Ishwar and Allah are both your names, Lord, give all the people good sense].
“Dekhiye bhagwan hum sabka haui, aur mera koi uddeshya Ram ko yaad karmneka thha aur Ram Sita ko yaad kiya humne [See, God belongs to every one of us, and my intention was to remember Ram. And I remembered Ram-Sita],” the singer pleaded on the microphone at the protesters.
Her explanation, that she was invoking Lord Ram, did not cut ice with the protesters. At this point, a leader took the microphone and said Jai Shri Ram. Chants echoed back. The leader explained that the singer's intentions were pure.
Another leader told the singer: “Sorry type ka bol dijiye [say something like sorry].”
As the jeers from the crowd continued, the singer said: “See, I have sung this song for Lord Ram and all of you know that our Indian culture – please give me two minutes, and you will see my heart is very big – only we Hindus assimilate everyone within us. And I think there is no need for you to be hurt by this song but if you have been hurt, I would like to say sorry for that. But I want to say that our Hindu religion it is said, Vasudeva Kutumbakam [the world is a family]...”
As the protests continued, she said Jai Shri Ram multiple times.
Opposition politicians slammed the BJP over the incident.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad was quoted as saying: "...singer Devi sang Bapu's bhajan in the auditorium built in his name and said ‘Sita Ram’. The BJP members made her apologise on the microphone and made her chant Jai Shri Ram instead of Jai Sita Ram. Why do Sanghis insult women including Sita Mata?”
On Thursday, Congress MP from Wayanad, Priyanka Gandhi, also shared a video clip of the incident on social media and tore into the BJP.
"They offer flowers to Bapu to show off to the world but in reality, they have no respect for him. They take the name of Babasaheb Ambedkar to show off but in reality, they insult him. The BJP hates our tolerant and inclusive culture and tradition so much that they insult our great men again and again," she wrote in Hindi.