On Friday, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla remarked that stories from the Mahabharata are frequently being shared in the House, as reported by PTI.
Birla’s comments were directed at BJP MP Pradip Purohit from Odisha’s Bargarh, who, while questioning the Union Ayush minister, delved into the history of herbs in an Ayurvedic college, tracing their origins to ancient times.
“Do not tell stories, ask the question (aap Mahabharat mat sunao, aap prashna poocho),” Birla instructed Purohit during the Question Hour, according to PTI. He further quipped, “Aaj kal, Mahabharat sunane ka kissa zyada chala hai yahan par (Nowadays, stories of the Mahabharata are being narrated a lot here).”
This incident follows a recent reference by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who invoked the Mahabharata in the Lok Sabha. Gandhi likened the current political climate to a ‘chakravyuh’ (a trap) described in the epic, where Abhimanyu was killed.
Gandhi criticized the BJP government for creating a ‘chakravyuh’ through the concentration of financial power, influential institutions such as the CBI, ED, and Income Tax, and political and business elites. He noted that this ‘chakravyuh’ resembles a lotus, the BJP’s election symbol.
“In the 21st century, another ‘chakravyuh’ has been prepared. It is in the form of a lotus, and the prime minister (Narendra Modi) wears the symbol on his chest. What was done to Abhimanyu is being done to India, to its youth, women, farmers, and small and medium businesses,” Gandhi stated.
BJP’s Anurag Thakur responded, accusing the Congress of creating multiple ‘chakravyuhs’ for the country and asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led the nation out of the ‘chakravyuh’ established by the Congress.