New Delhi: There was a ruckus at a ceremony organized in the memory of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Patna, Bihar, when folk singer Devi sang the bhajan ‘Ishwar Allah Tero Naam’. The ‘Main Atal Rahunga’ event was organized by former Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey in association with an NGO at Bapu Auditorium in the city, with the aim of remembering the contribution of Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary.
Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who was a minister in the Vajpayee government, said that this incident should not have happened. Singer had to apologize after people protested. According to ‘The Indian Express’ report, folk singer Devi said that the organizers of the event had asked her to sing a bhajan and she thought it would be appropriate to sing Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite bhajan at the programme. The singer elaborated that everything was smooth in the beginning of the bhajan, however when he sang ‘Ishwar Allah Tero Naam’, a group of audience protested, forcing him to stop the song. He further said that Ashwini Kumar Choubey intervened and pacified the crowd.
Shahnawaz Hussain’s reaction
Due to people’s protest the event came to a halt for some time. The singer stopped the bhajan, which is said to be Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite bhajan. Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister in Vajpayee administration Shahnawaz Hussain reacted sharply on the matter. He described the matter as ‘the height of intolerance’. Shahnawaz Hussain was the youngest cabinet minister in the Vajpayee government. He said, ‘I had mentioned Atal ji during my address. He used to say, ‘No one becomes great with a small heart.’ Opposition to Bhajan is the height of intolerance. I felt very embarrassed. Ashwini Kumar Choubey also condemned the incident and said that what happened should not have happened.
FIRST PUBLISHED: December 26, 2024, 21:43 IST
