New Delhi: Bhojpuri folk singer Devi was forced to stop singing Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajan, ‘Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram’ at an event organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Patna on December 25.
The traditional lyrics which Gandhi modified to include the line, ‘Ishwar Allah tero naam, sab ko sanmati de Bhagwan’, is one of the most widely sung and revered bhajans across India.
But when Devi sang that line, loud jeers and protests erupted in the hall.
BJP leaders, including former Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey, then took the microphone from her and shouted ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
The singer was then forced by the leaders to apologise, which she did, reluctantly, but not before pointing out that she did not understand why anyone would object to a line which embodied Hinduism’s belief that the whole world is its family and that god’s blessings were meant for people of all faiths.
The irony is that the event was held at a hall named after Gandhiji, the Bapu Sabhaghar.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav attacked the BJP for stopping the bhajan. “Sanghis and BJP people hate the name and slogan of “Jai Siyaram, Jai Sitaram” because it has the praise of Mother Sita,” he tweeted. “These people are anti-women from the very beginning and with the slogan of “Jai Shri Ram” they insult half of the population, women. Yesterday, in a program, singer Devi sang Bapu’s bhajan in the auditorium built in his name and said “Sita Ram”, then the petty BJP members made her apologize and made her chant Jai Shri Ram instead of Jai Sita Ram. Why do these Sanghis insult women including “Sita Mata”?”
संघियों और भाजपाइयों को “जय सियाराम, जय सीताराम” के नाम एवं नारे से शुरू ही नफरत है क्योंकि उसमें माता सीता का जयकारा है। ये लोग शुरू से ही महिला विरोधी है तथा “जय श्री राम’ के नारे के साथ आधी आबादी महिलाओं का भी अपमान करते हैं।
गायिका देवी ने कल कार्यक्रम में बापू के नाम पर… pic.twitter.com/fOGhxfWE16
Advertisement— Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) December 26, 2024
Other opposition leaders said the BJP’s opposition to the line about Allah really masked their hatred of Gandhi and love of Nathuram Godse, his assassin.
