Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rahul Gandhi meeting with controversial pastor Ponniah sparks a row

Pastor Ponniah was arrested from Madurai in July last year after he made objectionable remarks against Bharat Mata, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and some DMK leaders.

“We wear slippers to make sure that we don’t get our feet dirty and get any disease because of Bharat Mata,” he had said at a protest meeting held in Kanniyakumari district on July 18, 2021. Several complaints were filed against the Roman Catholic pastor for his comments, following which he was arrested.

BJP gets ammo to hit out at Congress

At a time when the Congress padayatra has been proceeding well, the meeting between Rahul Gandhi and pastor Ponniah has given the BJP ammunition to take on the grand old party on religious lines.

Ye Bharat Jodo Yatra hai? pic.twitter.com/dTE149wv3e

— BJP (@BJP4India) September 10, 2022

Taking to Twitter, the BJP’s IT wing chief Amit Malviya said: “If meeting a controversial pastor, who is known for his visceral disdain for the majority community and their beliefs, is Rahul Gandhi’s idea of “Bharat Jodo” then this yatra is nothing but a sham. How can indulging faith supremacists serve the larger society and bring cohesion(Sic).”

He added: “Someone who hops temples before elections, didn’t have a single visit to a Hindu temple or institution in his itinerary, but had all the time for controversial Hindu hate mongers. Does Rahul Gandhi’s idea of India have no place for Hindus?”

Similar rhetoric and narrative were pushed by other BJP leaders as well.

‘Controversy shows BJP’s desperation’

Immediately after the video was posted by BJP members, the Congress issued a statement claiming that it showed the desperation of the ruling party.

Jairam Ramesh, the Congress’ in-charge for communications, said: “An atrocious tweet from the BJP hate factory is doing the rounds. It bears no relation whatsoever to what is recorded in the audio. This is typical BJP mischief that has become more desperate after the successful launch of the Bharat Jodo Yatra which is evoking such a huge response.”

An atrocious tweet from the BJP hate factory is doing the rounds. It bears no relation whatsoever to what is recorded in the audio. This is typical BJP mischief that has become more desperate after the successful launch of #BharatJodoYatra which is evoking such a huge response.

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 10, 2022

While stating that such attempts by the BJP to damage the spirit of the Bharat Jodo Yatra would fail miserably, Ramesh also termed the row a “morbid joke” by those people “who were responsible for the killing of Mahatma Gandhi and the murders of Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh”.

How they met

According to a senior Congress leader who spoke to South First, the meeting between pastor Ponniah and Rahul Gandhi was arranged by a party MP from the state.

However, the leader added that Gandhi was bound to meet people from different walks of life during the padayatra.

“We are on a padayatra. Obviously, Rahul Gandhi will be meeting people who subscribe to different ideologies. That doesn’t mean we believe in that ideology,” the Congress leader said.

“Take, for example, Anurag Singh Thakur. He made a very objectionable statement of “Goli maaro saalon ko” ahead of the Delhi riots. He comes to Parliament and he is still a minister. Just because the Opposition talks to him, does it mean we endorse what he said?” the Congress asked, while trying to defend the meeting between Gandhi and pastor Ponniah.