Rajasthan not a 'city of sins': Pilot on Shah's 'Angad's foot' remark

Countering BJP president Amit Shah's statement that his party is like "Angad's foot" and cannot be dislodged, Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot on Sunday said the state is not a "city of sins" or "Ravana's Lanka".

According to Hindu epic Ramayana, Angad was a monkey prince who planted his foot in demon king Ravana's fortress Lanka. No one, including Ravana, was able to move his foot.

Shah drew the analogy between the BJP and Angad's foot at a public meeting in Sawai Madhopur on Saturday.

"This (Rajasthan) is not a city of sins or Ravana's Lanka. Rajasthan is the state of saints and religious leaders. Politics in this land will be about karma and not that of 'dharma' (religion)," Pilot said at a convention of Congress' OBC department here.

He also attended a meeting of Ravna Rajput community and alleged that it had been discriminated against by the Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government.

"Various communities faced discrimination during the rule of Vasundhara Raje. Ravna (Rajput) community also faced discrimination and there is resentment among its people. Congress is committed to honour and respect for all and believes in taking all religions, castes and communities along," he said.

The Congress has played the role of an effective opposition in the state and huge public support is a sign that the party will form the next government in Rajasthan, he said.