Chant 'Jai Shri Ram', Parvesh Verma urges opposition; says it's symbol of culture, not religion

BJP lawmaker Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma on Monday accused the opposition parties of practicing vote bank politics and called upon opposition members to raise the slogan of "Jai Shri Ram" saying it is not a symbol of religion but of the culture of the country.

Initiating the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address in Lok Sabha, Verma said the original copy of the Constitution contained images of Lord Ram, Lord Krishna and Lord Hanuman.

He said the Modi government is working in a timely manner and solving pending problems with determination.

Verma, who is the MP from West Delhi, also took repeated digs at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during his speech. Delhi will go to the polls on February 8.

Verma had been barred from campaigning in Delhi elections for 96 hours by the Election Commission last month following controversial remarks over anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh.

He accused the opposition members of not respecting the mandate of people and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be re-elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

He said a grand Ram Temple will be constructed at Ayodhya and urged members to raise the slogan of "Jai Shri Ram".

"All your sins will be washed away. Say Jai Shri Ram. I urge opposition members to say Jai Shri Ram. Jai Shri Ram is not a symbol of religion, it is a symbol of our culture," he said.

Verma said the entire opposition should say 'Jai Shri Ram'. He also referred to a Trinamool Congress member and urged him to raise the slogan.