Dampening the mood of brotherhood and unity, Bajrang Dal state President has demanded an apology or resignation from Ramesh Kumar, CEO of Vaishno Devi Shrine Board for ‘hurting Hindu sentiments’ by providing sehri and iftari to the 500 fasting Muslims during Ramadan 2020 who were quarantined there.
What could one possibly get for doing good for people? An apology? or a resignation. What can be more unfortunate and shocking than this? Instead of showering praises on Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board for upholding communal spirit during the distressing time by providing sehri and iftari to 500 Muslims quarantined at Katra during Ramadan, the Bajrang Dal has now stirred a controversy, demanding the resignation of CEO of the Shrine Board within 72 hours.
“By organising iftari, Ramesh Kumar, CEO of Shrine Board has hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community. Within 72 hours we want him to apologise or resign from the post,” demanded Naveen Soodan who is the state president of the Bajrang Dal.
When confronted by Times Now for giving a ‘communal’ tinge to the humane and harmonious gesture of Shrine Board, Soodan insisted that he was against the use of Hindu shrine money for the Muslim community. “This is Hindu money and should be used for the welfare of the Hindu community only,” Soodan reiterated.
When rebutted, the news agency reported that Soodan chose to cut short his conversation and ran away. At a time when certain sections of the society were trying to churn out a narrative of Islamophobia, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board epitomised communal harmony by providing sehri and iftari to 500 Muslims quarantined at Ashirwad Bhawan in Katra. Everybody appreciated this gesture of Shrine board and said it will go a long way in further strengthening the bond between Hindus and Muslims.
“Recent statements by Bajrang Dal have only given shot in the arms of the anti-India lobby. They should refrain from communalising things,” said a resident of Jammu, while expressing concerns over the situation.