Karnataka Elections: Hanuman Chalisa recital to counter Congress

Bengaluru, May 3

The Bajrang Dal has decided to conduct ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ recital programmes across Karnataka on Thursday, a day after the Congress promised in its election manifesto to ban the outfit.

The Opposition Congress, in its manifesto for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka, said it was committed to taking decisive action against individuals and organisations spreading hatred among communities on grounds of caste and religion.

In the manifesto, the Congress said: “We believe that law and the Constitution are sacrosanct and cannot be violated by individuals and organisations like the Bajrang Dal, PFI or others promoting enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities. We will take decisive action as per law, including imposing a ban on such organisations.”

On Wednesday, the Bajrang Dal said it would organise recitals of ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ across the state. “This is the time when ‘dharma’ is in danger and standing together is the only way forward. We should set aside our differences and come together to protect ‘dharma’,” the right-wing organisation said in a statement.

The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) too extended its support to the call. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his public meeting at Hospet in Vijayanagara district on Tuesday, too, had come down heavily on the Congress promise of banning Bajrang Dal saying: “The Congress has decided to lock up Lord Hanuman. Initially, they locked up Prabhu Shri Ram (Lord Ram). And now they want to lock up people who say ‘Jai Bajrang Bali’ (Hail Hanuman).”

Hanuman Chalisa is a set of 40 couplets penned by 16th century poet and devotee of Lord Rama, Goswami Tulsidas in ‘Awadhi’, one of the dialects of Hindi spoken predominantly in Uttar Pradesh.