‘Is Taking Lord Ram’s Name Anti-Party?’: Acharya Pramod Tears Into Congress After Expulsion – News18

Following his expulsion, Acharya Pramod Krishnam tore into Congress on Sunday and asked the party to explain the ‘anti-party activities’ on whose grounds he was expelled. Comparing his expulsion to Lord Ram’s ‘Vanvaas’, Krishnam asked the party to increase his period of exile to 14 years.

Acharya Pramod Krishnam had been critical of Congress’ decision to not participate in the Ram Mandir’s pran pratishthan ceremony on January 22.

“Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal should tell which activities are anti-party. Is taking Lord Ram’s name anti-party? Is going to Ayodhya anti-party?…Lord Rama was also sent to ‘Vanvaas’ for 14 years, since I am Ram devotee, I want that Congress party should expel me for 14 years instead of 6 years” he said at a press conference.

Krishnam, who had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Lucknow on a Congress ticket but lost, further stated that he had ideological differences with the party over many issues, but did not leave because of his ‘promise’ to late PM Rajeev Gandhi.

“There were many decisions taken by the Congress party that I did not agree with, like opposing the abrogation of Article 370. Congress should not have opposed this…Congress should not have supported DMK leaders when they compared Sanatana Dharma with Dengue, Malaria,” he said.

Alleging that he was insulted by Congress on many occasions, Krishnam threw shades at Rahul Gandhi and said Gandhi scion does not respect the old guards who stood with his family over the years.

“Congress party started insulting me. I have faced a lot of insults, yet I did not leave the party. The promise that I made to Rajiv Gandhi, used to come in between and hence I did not leave the party…I also thought that the person who does not know how to respect people who stood with their grandparents, mother, father…leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kamal Nath, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Digvijaya Singh and Anand Sharma used to stay with Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. They were the people who held the hands of Rahul Gandhi and made him learn how to walk. I questioned myself, that if the person does not respect such big leaders, then it won’t be a big thing for him to insult me,” the expelled leader said.

Congress on Saturday expelled Acharya Pramod Krishnam from the party for “indiscipline” and making repeated statements against the party.

Notably, Krishnam’s expulsion came days after he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya and criticised the Congress’ stance of its leadership skipping the event. He also recently met the Prime Minister and invited him to attend the foundation stone laying ceremony of Shri Kalki Dham to be held on February 19.