Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday brought an analogy with Ram to criticise the BJP and the RSS and said they say ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and not ‘Jai Siya Ram’, because they do not worship Sita. The comment comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress for party chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s Ravan jibe and said that the Congress never believed in Ram but compared PM Modi with Ravan. Addressing a rally at Agar Malwa in Madhya Pradesh, Rahul Gandhi said the meaning of ‘Jai Siya Ram’ or ‘Jai Sita Ram’ is that Ram and Sita are the same.
“How can they give this slogan when there is no woman in the party (RSS)!” Rahul Gandhi said.
“Gandhiji used to say ‘Hey Ram’. It was his slogan. What does this mean? It means that Lord Ram was not only an individual but a way of life symbolising love, brotherhood, respect and tapasya (penance). When Gandhiji used to say ‘Hey Ram’, it meant that the ideals of Lord Ram are within us and we have to follow them,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“The second slogan is Jai Siya Ram which means Sita and Ram are the same. Lord Ram’s way of life, what he did for Sita are respected in this slogan. So when we say Jai Siya Ram, we remember and respect Sita,” Rahul Gandhi said adding that a pundit came to him and explained this to him. “I am learning many things on the yatra,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“The third slogan is Jai Shi Ram which respects Lord Ram. The pundit ji asked me to raise the question that why the BJP never chants Jai Shri Ram but not Jai Siya Ram or Hey Ram. It was a deep thought,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Then Rahul Gandhi went on to explain that RSS people went to the BJP and they never embraced Lord Ram’s way of life. “Lord Ram never did injustice to anyone, he worked towards uniting the society. He helped the farmers, businessmen and labourers. Right?” Rahul Gandhi said.
“And they can’t say Jai Siya Ram because there is no woman in the party and it is not an organisation of ‘Siya Ram’. There is no Sita there. They kept Sita outside,” Rahul Gandhi explained. “So my request to my RSS friends is: please chant Jai Siya Ram and Hey Ram also along with Jai Shri Ram. Do not disrespect Sitaji,” Rahul Gandhi said.