A political scandal has developed following Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s statement at a campaign rally in Chhattisgarh, in which he equated the word ‘Shiva’ in a candidate’s name to Lord Ram. The statement did not sit well with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The saffron camp used the occasion to publicise their remarks and challenge the grand old party. On Thursday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated that the Congress party has a tendency to ‘split and rule’.

“Congress has tended to divide and rule. The Congress is carrying on the British legacy on all issues. They segregated society on the basis of caste, region, and language,” he told ANI.

Kharge expressed his support for Congress candidate Shivakumar Dahariya in the Janjgir-Champa Lok Sabha seat, saying, “He can give a tough fight to Lord Ram because he is Shiv”.

Kharge also warned the BJP against utilising religious rhetoric in their campaign, referring specifically to the Ram Mandir issue in Ayodhya.

In response to the statement, BJP National Shehzad Poonawallah accused the Congress of “dividing our Bhagwans (Gods)” and called them “anti-Hindu”.

In an X post, Poonawallah wrote, “Congress resorts to dividing Hindus to bolster its Muslim vote bank.” He accused Congress of disparaging Hindu faith, citing prior incidents. “They say Shree Ram’s ‘Surya tilak’ is ‘pakhand’, they criticise Ramcharitmanas and ‘Jai Shree Ram,’ and now they say we will battle Ram and Shiva will fight Ram. This reflects the thinking of Congress. ‘Sanatan Samapti’ is said by their ally, Khargeji’s son says ‘Sanatana is a disease’, and Khargeji has claimed that ‘Sanatana would arrive if Modi wins’, so this Sanatana Virodhi, Hindu Virodhi Ram Virodhi face of the Congress party has once again returned to the fore,” he added.