Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], November 17 : Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari on Monday criticised state Higher Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar's remark on Raja Ram Mohan Roy, saying it reflects the character and face of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Speaking to reporters in Bhopal, Patwari said, "The way Inder Singh Parmar remarked about freedom fighters (referring to Raja Ram Mohan Roy) reflects his character. Similarly, CM Mohan Yadav also abused the employees while addressing a program which shows their values. Recently, BJP MP Faggan Singh Kulaste said that such small incidents keep happening and that it happened after many days (Delhi Blast incident). It means that such a major incident in the country seems small to him. It is the real conduct, character and face of the BJP."
The controversy arose after Parmar, addressing the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas event on November 15, said, "A vicious cycle of changing the faith of the people of the country was going on through English education, and the British had made several people of this country as fake social reformers, one of whom was Raja Ram Mohan Roy. He worked as an agent of the British, and the cycle of religious conversion that they promoted was stopped by Birsa Munda. It was Birsa Munda who protected society and safeguarded the tribal community."
A day after the event, the minister issued a clarification video and apologised for his remark. Parmar shared the video in this regard on his official 'X' handle, saying, "Renowned social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy did significant work for social reform in his time. I am saddened by the words that came out mistakenly in reference to him. I apologise."
Additionally, the Congress leader raised serious allegations against the Election Commission after the recent electoral outcomes in the Bihar assembly polls, stating that the Election Commission is acting like an agent of the BJP.
"In Bihar, the strike rate of the NDA alliance was above 90 per cent. In Maharashtra, too, their performance touched 90 per cent, and in several other states as well. This clearly indicates that the Election Commission is acting like an agent of the BJP," Patwari said.
Furthermore, the Congress leader raised concerns over the ongoing SIR (Special Intensive Revision) process, claiming that if anyone feels their citizenship is at risk, it indicates that the government is acting with ill will.
"I believe that if the SIR is a voter purification exercise or a mechanism to protect voting rights, then it should have been conducted as a positive exercise, not one that generates fear among the public," he added.