An advertisement published in some vernacular dailies in the Saurashtra region depicting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as Lord Krishna has kicked up a controversy in the State.
The State Congress president Arjun Modhvadia strongly decried the advertisement demanding an apology from the BJP and Mr. Modi for hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus. “The advertisement depicting the Chief Minister as Lord Krishna is an insult to all Hindus,” Mr. Modhvadia said.
At a press conference, where State Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala announced the State government's upcoming “Swami Vivekananda Employment Week” programme from April 9, Mr. Vala agreed that no human being should be depicted as God. “The good works of a person may be compared as godly achievements, but no human being should be depicted as God,” Mr. Vala said.
‘Will act'
He said he himself had not seen the advertisement but had been told that it was not inserted by the party. “It may be some overenthusiastic individual who has done it, we will inquire and consider taking suitable action,” Mr. Vala said.
The advertisement was published in the name of the Amreli district BJP president, the district from where the BJP national vice-president Purshottam Rupala, a close confidant of Mr. Modi hailed. The advertisement published in a couple of dailies , showed the battlefield of Kurukshetra in the background and Mr. Modi's face in place of Lord Krishna giving sermons to Arjuna portrayed by the State BJP president R. C. Faldu.
The advertisement has been inserted on the occasion of Mr. Faldu launching a “Kisan Yatra” from Rajkot, the nerve centre of the Saurashtra region, on Friday as part of the party's foundation day celebrations. And in keeping with the occasion, it showed Lord Krishna (Modi) telling Arjuna (Faldu), “O Partha, for getting justice for the hermit-like agriculturists, who toil day and night for the happiness of all the beings of the world, war is the only way now.” There are other BJP leaders like Mr. Rupala, the State party spokesman Vijay Rupani, the former minister I. K. Jadeja and the newly-elected member of the Rajya Sabha from the State Mansukh Mandaviya are shown dressed like the four Pandava brothers watching. Except Mr. Modi, all the leaders in the advertisement are from the Saurashtra region.
