There are days when the idiosyncrasies happening in the country, simply, redefine our notions of bizarre. 26th August 2016, Friday was one such day, when the Haryana Assembly became a temporary abode for a well-known Jain Monk and Religious leader Tarun Sagar.
Invited by Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma, Sagar turned up stark-naked in the State Assembly and delivered a 40-minute lecture “Kadve Vachan” on the state of Indian politics, female foeticide, the duty of a wife and dealing with Pakistan to the legislators.
What enraged Twitterati and caused a social media outrage was the mixing of politics and religion. Many people called the invitation as ‘regressive’ and ‘nonsense’, chief among them was music director Vishal Dadlani, who posted a series of tweets condemning the events.
Members of Jain community and followers of the monk denounced his insensitivity that was responsible for hurting religious sentiments. Adding to the fervor was the Delhi CM Kejriwal and his cabinet colleague Satyendra Jain who came forward to support the ‘Naked Monk’.
Dadlani, realizing the severity of the situation, apologized to the Jain community and tweeted that he was quitting from all active political work and affiliations.
Many others also condemened the Haryana government for inviting a religious face like Sagar to the house.
Whilst criticizing the beliefs of any faith is very reprehensible, more people should speak up against the relentless overlapping of religion and governance as the promotion of such acts undermines the secular status and pluralistic values of our country.
