AMBALA MLA ASEEM GOEL JUSTIFIES OATH TO MAKE INDIA ‘HINDU RASHTRA’

AMBALA: Days after a video of him taking an oath to make India a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ and that he is “ready to make or take sacrifice for it” at an event in Ambala was widely circulated on the social media, BJP MLA Aseem Goel has justified the move claiming that everyone who lives in India is a Hindu.

On Sunday, the legislator and editor-in-chief of a national news channel Ashok Chavanke were among the attendees at an event organised by the Samajik Chetna Sangathan on Uniform Civil Code at Aggarwal Dharamshala in city.

While Goel was the chief speaker at the event, Chavanke administered the oath to the audience in Hindi after the event, which can roughly be translated as: “We pledge to make Hindustan a Hindu Rashtra. If required, we will make or take sacrifice for it but at any cost, we will declare Hindustan as Hindu Rashtra. May our deities and ancestors give us the strength to achieve the goal.”

The two-time MLA showed his inability to comment on the controversy. “I received requests to respond, but I refused. I’m not in town for two days and not in a position to comment on the call. I can speak on the issue personally later,” he said. However, in an interview with a local news portal, he said a similar oath was administered by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1647. “We have never asked for damage to any other religion. India is a country of Hindus and those who live here are Hindus. We are not asking people of other religions to stop worshipping their Gods. But if they are living in India, they have to follow the customs and culture being followed here,” he said. He justified the word “sacrifice” in oath and said, “it doesn’t mean that we will slit the throats of others, but that we are ready to make any contribution for the cause”.