Rahul Gandhi is not Shri Ram, but BJP follows Ravan says Salman Khurshid

New Delhi, Dec 28: Congress leader Salman Khurshid has likened Rahul Gandhi to Lord Ram and described him as "superhuman" and a "yogi doing tapasya" as he lauded the former party chief for his Bharat Jodo Yatra, evoking sharp criticism from the BJP.

Slamming the opposition party leaders for their show of "sycophancy", the BJP said comparing a person out on bail in a corruption case, a reference to the National Herald probe, to a God worshipped by so many people not only hurts the feelings of Hindus but also the entire society.

The Congress leader, however, remained unfazed and defended his remarks, saying he does not need instructions from Nagpur, a reference to RSS headquarters, to praise his leader Rahul Gandhi. "Lord Ram belongs to all. The BJP should not make this debate controversial. Earlier also Lord Ram has been called as 'Imam-e-Hind' and he belongs to all religions," Khurshid told reporters in Meerut on Tuesday "No one can replace God but everyone can try to walk the path shown by him. Why should anyone object if I say someone is following that path," he said.

Khurshid later told PTI, "I am willing to say whatever they believe I have said. Have I said that Rahul Gandhi is like Ram? Have I said it? I am willing to say it." While BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia targeted the Congress at a press conference following Khurshid's remarks, another party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, in a swipe at Congress leaders, said they put "parivaar ki bhakti" (devotion to family) above "bhagwaan and rashtra ki bhakti" (devotion to God and nation).

The Congress must apologise for hurting Hindu sentiments, Poonawalla said.

Khurshid, a former Cabinet minister, also likened Congress workers to Lord Ram's brother Bharat.

Talking to reporters in Moradabad on Monday, Khurshid, who is the state coordinator of the yatra, said, "Rahul Gandhi is superhuman. While we are freezing in the cold and wearing jackets, he is going out in T-shirt (for the Bharat Jodo Yatra). He is like a yogi, he has called himself so, doing his 'tapasya' (penance) with focus." Drawing a parallel with Lord Ram and his brother Bharat, Khurshid said, "Lord Ram's 'khadau' (wooden slipper) goes very far. Sometimes when Ram ji is not able to reach, Bharat takes his 'khadau' and goes to places. Like that, we have carried the 'khadau' in Uttar Pradesh. "Now that 'khadau' has reached Uttar Pradesh. Ram ji will also come, this is our belief." He was responding to a question about the Gandhi-led yatra not passing through Uttar Pradesh till now.

Asked about BJP's reaction to his remarks, Khurshid told reporters on Tuesday, "If I believe somebody is following the path shown by God, then what will I say if I have to praise him? How do you praise a person if he has attained such a height? Isn't this said that he is like God? No one can replace God but everyone can try to walk the path shown by him.

"Why should anyone object if I say someone is following that path and that people can again see the story they associate with God. If the BJP has never seen a good man, then it's their problem." He said Lord Ram is an ideal for people all religions including Hindus and Muslim. "In our culture, we name children as Ram, but could not find Raheem," Khurshid said.

The former Union minister went on to say, "When I praise Lord Ram, they say that Lord Ram is being insulted." Training his guns on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), whose headquarters is in Nagpur, Khurshid said, "I will not seek permission from Nagpur to praise my leader Rahul Gandhi. I will not change my vocabulary by asking Nagpur. "Nagpur cannot operate this country." Speaking to PTI, Khurshid clarified that whatever he said was only in praise of Lord Ram and asked if he is not allowed to do so. "I have said that in our mythology, religious beliefs, wherever Lord Ram did not go, his brother carried his Khadau," he said. Similarly, "if the yatra doesn't come to parts of UP, we are here to carry the message," he said.

BJP spokespersons, however, alleged that the Congress, when in power, had questioned the existence of Lord Ram and accused its leaders of repeatedly riding roughshod over Hindu sentiments. "Salman Khurshid in his attempt to clarify remains defiant about his outrageous analogy between Prabhu Ram & Rahul! Heights of Parivar Bhakti that you even put Bhagwan Bhakti & Desh Bhakti aside "Will Salman ji ever make similar analogies for other faith? Can he?" Poonawalla tweeted.

The yatra will enter Uttar Pradesh on January 3 through Loni in Ghaziabad. It will then pass through Baghpat and Shamli to enter Haryana.

To a question related to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Khurshid said, "We respect him, that's why our leader Rahul Gandhi went to his samadhi. The actions of other BJP leaders are not worthy of respect." Reacting to Khurshid's statement, BJP spokesman Harishchandra Srivastava said they reflect nothing but sycophancy. "Khurshid saheb needs to think thousands of times before comparing Rahul Gandhi with the 'mahapurush' who is followed by the entire world. He is a barrister but his statement is a symbol of sycophancy," Srivastava said.

Asked about reports claiming that a seer had offered Rs 21 crore for his beheading, Khurshid retorted, "This will happen if someone takes the name of Lord Ram in this country? We can't take the name of Lord Ram? Can't we appreciate Lord Ram?"