The minister also alleged that Agnivesh used foreign funding to create unrest in the country.
Web Report
RANCHI — A day after social activist Swami Agnivesh was thrashed, punched and kicked by a mob allegedly of BJP workers in Pakur district, Jharkhand Urban Development Minister C.P. Singh said in the Assembly that Swami Agnivesh “is a fraud” and he conspired to get himself attacked.
“Agnivesh is a fraud. I know him for the last 40 years. No Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) worker was involved in the thrashing. He conspired to get himself thrashed,” Singh said.
He also alleged that Agnivesh used foreign funding to create unrest in the country.
However, the opposition members in the Assembly were angry with Singh for calling Agnivesh a “fraud” and “dalal”.
Leader of Opposition Hemant Soren said: “The incident has taken place at the instruction of the state government. The state government had prior information regarding the thrashing by BJYM workers.”
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Neelkanth Singh Munda tried to calm the opposition by saying that Chief Minister Raghubar Das had ordered probe. “Such an incident should have not have taken place.”
Hemant Soren and Jharkhand Vias Morcha-Prajatantrik legislator Pradeep Yadav alleged that the arrested people in the case were released following instructions from Ranchi.
Earlier, a BJP party leader had said the attack shouldn’t be seen in isolation and “Swami Agnivesh’s ‘track record’ is such that the reaction doesn’t come as a surprise”.
“There have been cases where Swami Agnivesh’s speech hurt religious sentiment. The state government will investigate on the attack. What we know so far is that, Swami Agnivesh said a few things which hurt religious sentiments of people,” said Deepak Prakash, a BJP leader in Ranchi.
