Ayodhya Priest Invites Rahul Gandhi To Stay In Hanumangarhi Temple After His Eviction From Delhi Bungalow
DAYS after disqualified Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi was asked to vacate his government alloted bunglow in New Delhi, a Mahant (high priest) has invited him to stay in the Hanumangarhi Temple in Ayodhya. The priest, Sanjay Das, is the heir apparent of the prestigious temple which is currently being headed by an elderly seer Mahant Gyan Das.
The invitation is being seen as an expression of support, according to a report by PTI. Ayodhya town, where this temple is located is known to be a bastion of the BJP.
“We, the seers of Ayodhya, welcome Rahul Gandhi to this pious city, we offer him our place to reside,” priest Sanjay Das was quoted as saying in the report.
The eviction notice, handed to Gandhi, came after he was disqualified as a Member of Parliament following his conviction by a Surat Court in a 2019 criminal defamation case. Gandhi was served a two-year rigorous imprisonment sentence by the Court.
Sanjay Das, the priest who invited Gandhi, is also the National President of the Sankat Mochan Sena. He said that Gandhi is “most welcome” to come and stay in the Hanumangarhi Temple complex if he wants.
“Rahul Gandhi must come to Ayodhya and visit Hanumangarhi and offer prayers here. There are many such ashrams in the campus area of Hanumangarhi, he should come and stay in our ashram, we will be happy,” Das said.
Gandhi was disqualified after his conviction as the Representation of People Act, 1988, states that any elected representative in any Legislative Assembly, Council or the Parliament will stand disqualified if his/ her conviction is equal to or more than two years. However, he was granted 30-day bail on the same day and his bail was extended by a Surat Sessions Court on Monday.
The case against Gandhi pertains to a comment he made ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election in Karnataka’s Kolar. He had asked – “why do all theives have Modi as the common surname?”. The case was filed against him by Gujarat’s Bharatiya Janata Party MLA, Purnesh Modi, who was not retained in the state cabinet after the 2022 assembly election.
(With agency inputs)
