POLITICS
‘No place for hate’ — Rajasthan BJP expels Sandeep Dayma for ‘problematic’ remark on mosques, gurdwaras
- Admin
- Nov 05, 2023
‘No place for hate’ — Rajasthan BJP expels Sandeep Dayma for ‘problematic’ remark on mosques, gurdwaras
The expulsion follows strong protests from members of the BJP's Punjab unit. Dayma had earlier apologised for saying in Rajasthan that Congress win will see number of masjids & gurdwaras rise.
Amid strong protests from the party’s Punjab unit, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajasthan expelled leader Sandeep Dayma Sunday, over his controversial remarks against masjids and gurdwaras last week.
BJP national secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsaon social media platform X (formerly Twitter), “Taking action, Sandeep Dayma has been expelled from BJP for his hateful remarks. No place for hate in BJP” even as he shared the letter issued to the leader by the head of the party’s state disciplinary committee, Onkar Singh Lakhawat.
In a post on X Saturday, former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh said, “I urge the BJP high command to immediately expel Sandeep Dayma from the party for his hate remarks against mosques & gurdwaras.”
Calling for a legal action against Dayma, he added, “His apology serves no purpose as his remarks have already caused immense hurt to well meaning people. Not only should he be expelled, but there must be legal action also, as nobody should be allowed to get away with a mere apology after provocative hate speeches.”
In a speech in Rajasthan’s Tijara Wednesday during an election campaign, Dayma said, “If the Congress candidate wins from this constituency, the number of masjids and gurdwaras will rise and that will be problematic for people living here.” He added that these would be uprooted once BJP came to power.
Later, following directions from the BJP high command, Dayma issued a video apology which the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) — the organisation responsible for the maintenance of historic Sikh places of worship in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh — shared on its X account. In it, Dayma explained that he meant to say masjid-madrasa, but said masjid-gurdwara by mistake.
The apology didn’t go down well with the SGPC which said, “Leaders like Sandeep Dayma should be ashamed of issuing (such) a clarification as speaking against the religious place of Muslims is equally condemnable as doing so against gurdwaras.
In a post on X Saturday, former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh said, “I urge the BJP high command to immediately expel Sandeep Dayma from the party for his hate remarks against mosques & gurdwaras.”
Calling for a legal action against Dayma, he added, “His apology serves no purpose as his remarks have already caused immense hurt to well meaning people. Not only should he be expelled, but there must be legal action also, as nobody should be allowed to get away with a mere apology after provocative hate speeches.”
In a speech in Rajasthan’s Tijara Wednesday during an election campaign, Dayma said, “If the Congress candidate wins from this constituency, the number of masjids and gurdwaras will rise and that will be problematic for people living here.” He added that these would be uprooted once BJP came to power.
Later, following directions from the BJP high command, Dayma issued a video apology which the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) — the organisation responsible for the maintenance of historic Sikh places of worship in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh — shared on its X account. In it, Dayma explained that he meant to say masjid-madrasa, but said masjid-gurdwara by mistake.
The apology didn’t go down well with the SGPC which said, “Leaders like Sandeep Dayma should be ashamed of issuing (such) a clarification as speaking against the religious place of Muslims is equally condemnable as doing so against gurdwaras.
