'Faith important for every Hindu': Rajeev Chandrasekhar slams own channel for mocking Maha Kumbh

BJP leader and former union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar

BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar criticised the remarks made by the Malayalam channel Asianet News on Maha Kumbh.

Chandrasekhar, who owns the channel, shared  a post on Facebook late Tuesday night. He told  the channel’s brass that “faith is important for every Hindu.”

“Many Malayalees had messaged me pointing out that an event related to Mahakumbhamela hurt them. They informed that they felt that the programme was a mockery of Mahakumbhamela. My family was also there among the crores of believers who participated in the Maha Kumbh Mela,” said the Union Minister on Facebook.

In the latest episode of the weekly programme, Cover Story, telecast on March 1, Asianet News had taken a dig at people from Kerala attending the Kumbh.

“Hundreds of people from Kerala took part in the Ganga snan. Hindu sentiments, interest in rituals, and the Kumbh mela snan, which were not prevalent until now, have emerged in a state where CPI(M) is ruling. Even when Kerala is claiming to be 100 percent literate, Kumbh mela snan and propitiating BJP are favorite matters for a lot of Keralites,” it said as quoted by Indian Express.

Chandrasekhar said there should be no “careless” remarks about such a ceremony attended by so many devotees. “I have brought this to the attention of Asianet News leadership and requested that no such inadvertent or other mocking be done, about a gathering of reverence for lakhs of devotees. To every Hindu as in any religion, our faith is important - to crores of Hindus across the country and in Kerala and we would all request that it be respected,” he said.

The BJP leader also shared visuals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking a dip at Sangam. The Maha Kumbh Mela was held from  January 13 to February 26.

BJP state president K Surendran  also  criticised the programme. “Malayalam media are also getting the funding which Donald Trump had referred to, and the Soros funding. There is no counting the hajjis going for hajj in Mecca. The concern is about the number of people who go for the Kumbh Mela snan. First class urban naxals, for whose support there is jihadi money,” he wrote on Facebook.