On Sunday, Sushma Swaraj,External Affairs Minister urged that the Bhagwad Gita be declared a ‘Rashtriya Granth’, adding that only a formal announcement to this effect was pending. “The Prime Minister has already given it the stature of national granth by gifting it to US President Barack Obama,” she said. Speaking at an event on Red Front on “5,151st anniversary” of the Gita, organised by RSS-affiliate Global Inspiration and Enlightenment Organization of Gita (GIEOGITA), She also advised psychiatrists to read and prescribe the Gita to patients suffering from depression. After her statement, Ashok Singhal, VHP president demanded that PM Narendra Modi declare the Gita a national scripture. At the same event, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar said the religious book has been considered above the Constitution. Representatives of embassies of 20 countries were present at the event.
Criticising Swaraj’s remarks, Trinamool Congress (TMC) said the Constitution was the “holy book” in a democracy. Congress called her statement “frivolous”. “All holy books are our pride,” Mamata Banerjee said. “The Quran, Puranas, Vedas, Vedanta, Bible, Tripitak, Zend-Avesta, Guru Granth Sahib, Gita, we respect all.” Essence of the Gita lies in its substance and not in its symbolism, said the Congress’s Manish Tewari.
