The resignation comes days after a video emerged of Gautam at an event where 10,000 people converted to Buddhism. The BJP had demanded his resignation for the same.
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Delhi social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, whose presence at a “mass religious conversion” event on Wednesday triggered a political row, resigned on Sunday accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of playing “dirty politics” and alleging threat calls from some right-wing individuals.
The event had come under fire from the BJP, which said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his party “hated” Hindus. Gautam had at the time said he had a right to practice his religion, as guaranteed under the Constitution. The BJP had demanded Gautam’s resignation after the video emerged. Both the Aam Aadmi Party and the Delhi government had not reacted to the event or the BJP’s demands.
The Delhi minister attended the Buddha Dhamma Deeksha Samaroh where hundreds of Dalits from across Delhi-NCR converted to Buddhism, earning ire from BJP for participating in an ‘anti-Hindu’ event coupled with controversial remarks he made during the function. More than 10,000 people in the event reportedly took vows to convert to Buddhism to follow Lord Buddha’s teachings.
After his resignation, Mr Gautam tweeted: “Today is the manifestation day of Maharishi Valmiki ji and on the other hand it is also the death anniversary of Manyavar Kanshi Ram Saheb. In such a coincidence, today I have been freed from many shackles and today I have been born again. Now I will continue to fight for rights and atrocities on the society more firmly without any restrictions.”
AAP is anti-Hindu: BJP
“This has not happened for the first time. I want Delhi CM and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal to stand on this issue where his minister was seen at an event where Hindus were converted to Buddhism,” BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana said. The party took up the matter further and filed the complaint against Gautam at Parliament Street police station. “We’ve filed a complaint against Delhi’s Minister of Social Welfare (Rajendra Pal Gautam) at the Parliament Street police station. The AAP government must sack him for his attempt to stoke communal tensions and spread hatred along religious lines within the country,” said Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta.
Minister’s ‘controversial’ remarks
Gautam said that the event was organised by the Buddhist Society of India on October 5 and it has nothing to do with politics. However, he is said to have remarked: “For centuries the caste system has limited our opportunities. Now we do not need reservation only in jobs, we need our share in land resources and the right to live with dignity.” “If caste has been made by nature, why is there no caste in France, China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand?” the AAP leader reportedly said.