Forget graveyards, let all be cremated: Sakshi

A week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s graveyard-cremation ground remark sparked a row, firebrand BJP leader Sakshi Maharaj on Tuesday said there should be no graveyard at all in the country and all should be cremated.

The BJP MP from Unnao said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi said a crematorium should be constructed next to a graveyard. But graveyards should not be constructed at all. If this happens, all land in the country will be used for this purpose and no space will be left for practicing agriculture... There will be no fields."

Maharaj, who is known for his off-the-cuff and occasionally controversial remarks said, "There is no tradition of constructing graveyards in Islamic countries across the world. The bodies are cremated in these countries. There are about 3.5 crore Hindu saints in India. They follow the tradition of burying the dead. So, I want to appeal to the Prime Minister that there should be only one cremation ground which should lead to 'jannat' or 'moksh dwaar'."

The BJP leader said a new law with "no room for graveyards should be enacted. There should be a joint crematorium for all. And if there is one, the outcome will be positive".

Later, clarifying his remarks, he said, "The population of the country is increasing and theirs is a paucity of land. Where will people live if all the land is used for constructing graveyards? "I am not against what the Prime Minister has said. I said that whatever the name of the place maybe, it should serve the purpose of cremating the dead. There is no need to bury anyone."