'No place for hate': BJP expels Rajasthan leader Sandeep Dayma over remark on mosques, gurudwaras
The Rajasthan branch of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expelled leader Sandeep Dayma on Sunday amid significant objections from the party's Punjab unit. This action was taken following Dayma's contentious remarks directed at mosques and gurdwaras last week.
FollowThe BJP on Sunday expelled Sandeep Dayma, a Rajasthan leader, following a controversial hate remark that conflicted with the party's ideology, as confirmed by BJP disciplinary committee head Onkar Singh Lakhawat. This move transpired after demands for severe actions against Dayma were raised by senior BJP figure and former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, alongside other party members, regarding Dayma's derogatory comments concerning "mosques and gurdwaras."
BJP national secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), “Taking action, Sandeep Dayma has been expelled from BJP for his hateful remarks. No place for hate in BJP” even as he shared the letter issued to the leader by the head of the party’s state disciplinary committee, Onkar Singh Lakhawat.
On Sunday, led by State Mahila Morcha president Jai Inder Kaur, BJP members lodged a complaint at Chandigarh's Sector 39 police station, citing Dayma's remarks as a source of insecurity and a cause for hurt among people's religious sentiments.
Amarinder Singh stressed the unsuitability of individuals like Dayma, who make thoughtless and malicious statements, within the BJP, emphasizing the necessity for both expulsion from the party and legal actions.
During an election rally in Rajasthan's Tijara Assembly constituency, in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Dayma caused uproar by suggesting that "if the BJP comes to power, mosques and gurdwaras would be uprooted." Following widespread criticism, Dayma apologized, attempting to clarify that his intended reference was to 'masjid-madrasas' being uprooted but mistakenly included gurdwaras in his statement.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal denounced the apology, attributing Dayma's comments to an "arrogant and perverted mindset," emphasizing the equality of all religious places, whether temples, gurdwaras, mosques, or any other place of worship. Badal advocated for action against individuals like Dayma, disrupting peace and communal harmony.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), responsible for gurdwara management, also criticized Dayma's apology, stating that his attempt to clarify his statement was inadequate.
In a post on X, the SGPC said: “In his apology, BJP leader Sandeep Dayma who gave statement of uprooting gurdwaras and masjids during his party rally in Tijara, Rajasthan, says, ‘I wanted to say Masjid-Madrasa, but somehow said gurdwara’. He should be ashamed of this statement too, as speaking against religious places of Muslims is equally condemnable as gurdwaras.”
