NEW DELHI | Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh congratulated the people of Kerala on the state’s name being changed to Keralam and questioned the PM Modi government’s functioning. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had changed Kerala’s name and should now change the way his government works.
The AAP MP said the Centre had abandoned Kerala when the state was facing floods and landslides instead of providing financial assistance, and urged the Central government to provide greater support for Keralam’s development, education and healthcare. He also said that while PM Modi changed Faizabad’s name to Ayodhya, BJP leaders began stealing offerings made to Lord Ram instead of following his ideals.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, senior AAP leader and MP Sanjay Singh said, “The languages, clothing, castes, religions and states of the country must all be respected. The defining feature of India is its unity in diversity. Our strength lies in people belonging to different religions, castes and languages living together in this country.”
Sanjay Singh said, “On behalf of the AAP, I want to congratulate the people of Kerala, that, keeping their sentiments in mind, the name of the state of Kerala is being changed to Keralam today.” He said Shankaracharya was also mentioned in the House and added that the government’s respect for Shankaracharya could be gauged from the fact that Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati was falsely booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in Uttar Pradesh.
The AAP MP said that changing the state’s name to Keralam was a welcome step, but the Central government should also stand with the people of Kerala in their suffering. He said the Centre should provide the state with as much assistance as possible for its development, education and healthcare systems.
However, he added, “I say this with great regret that whenever there is a flood, landslide or national disaster there, the Central government pulls back both its hands and does not provide any assistance to the state. The Central government is clearly discriminating against Kerala.”
Sanjay Singh further stated, “If the government is going to change names, it should also change its character and way of functioning. Merely changing names will not be enough. When Faizabad was renamed Ayodhya, we expected the government to follow the character and principles of Lord Ram, but the offerings made at the Ram temple were stolen.”
Sanjay Singh concluded by saying that while changing names was a welcome step, the government should also change the way it functions. He urged the government to give up its policy of ‘Ram Ram japna, Paraaya maal apna’ (chanting Ram-Ram while making someone else’s property its own.)
