'Was asked to keep quiet on Sanatan insult': Rohan Gupta blasts Jairam Ramesh, says INDIA bloc has 'anti-national forces'

Rohan Gupta, former Congress leader from Gujarat, on Thursday levelled serious allegations against Jairam Ramesh, Congress communications in charge and former Union minister soon after entering the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fold. The former Congress leader joined the BJP in presence of Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and General Secretary Vinod Tawde at the party's headquarters in Delhi.

Rohan Gupta on Jairam Ramesh, INDIA alliance

Gupta claimed that Ramesh allegedly told Congress leaders to keep when objectionable remarks were being made against Sanatana Dharma, referring to DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's controversial comments in September last year. He further said that there are many contradictions plaguing the grand old party as an alliance using the country's name was made, referring to the INDIA bloc, but all 'anti-national forces' were a part of it. 

Gupta also questioned the Congress for supporting Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, adding that the grand old party accused Kejriwal of being linked with Khalistani forces. 

Gupta said: "How many contradictions can be there? There is a communications in charge who has 'Ram' in his name, he told us to keep quiet when Sanatan (Dharma) was being insulted... An alliance using the country's name was made but 'desh virodhi takatein' (anti-social forces) were included in it. What is the compulsion that Kejriwal who was accused of being connected with Khalistanis today is being supported by them?"

Rohan Gupta leaves Congress 

Last month, Rohan Gupta left the Congress after alleging "constant humiliation" and "character assassination" by a senior Congress leader connected with the grand old party's communications department.

"The person who has humiliated me for last two years, the person who has not budged from doing it in t he last three days, I am sure that he will not refrain from doing it in future and nobody else will be able to stop him. But now, I am not ready to take any more assault on my self-esteem," Gupta said. 

Gupta said that the same leader has also damaged the Congress party due to his "arrogant and rude behaviour".

"The same leader has damaged party also with his arrogant and rude behaviour. Due to his extreme leftist mindset he ensured party’s silence on insult of Sanatan Dharma which hurt me personally and I was forcefully stopped from opposition insult of sanatan dharma on national TV. This has done serious damage to party image and to the morale of the party’s leaders," he said.  

Congress leaders who have joined BJP

Some prominent Congress leaders who have now joined the saffron party include spokesperson Gourav Vallabh, former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan, former CM of undivided Andhra Pradesh Kiran Reddy, ex-Defence Minister AK Antony's son Anil Antony, boxer Vijendra Singh, Captain Amarinder Singh's wife Preneet Kaur, Jitin Prasada, RPN Singh, Jyotiraditya Scindia, industrialist Naveen Jindal and his mother Savitri Jindal.