New Delhi: Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam on Sunday resigned from his post, following the "strong protest" over his presence at a "religious conversion" event on Ashok Vijayadashmi earlier this week.
India in its constitution allows citizens to adopt or convert to religion of their choice.
However, Gautam was facing severe criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for his presence at the event, where hundreds of people abandoned Hinduism to adopt Buddhism.
The event was held in Delhi on October 05, 2022 which also coincided with Dussehra and Vijaya Dashmi. Dalits claim the real name is "Ashoka Vijaya Dashmi" and it is the day when King Ashok, and later in 1956 Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar had embraced Buddhism.
Since then people, mostly Dalits, in various parts choose this day to take 'diksha' - special ceremony to organised to convert to Buddhism.
Likewise, on October 05, 2022, around 10,000 people gathered at Ambedkar Bhavan in Delhi's Karol Bagh area and take pledge to denounce Hinduism and convert to Buddhism.
According to reports, similar events were organised in other parts of the country where, according to organisers, more than 100,000 people embraced Buddhism.
Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam had not only participated in the event but also sang "Mission Jai Bhim" song the video of which went viral.
The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and other Hindutva organisations raised protest against Rajendra Pal Gautam.
They also criticised Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Posters calling Kejriwal, who is campaigning in Gujarat for state assembly elections, anti-Hindu, were also circulated, according to AAP sources.
Following the outrage, Gautam finally tendered his resignation and called it a "day of manifestation".
"Today is the manifestation day of Maharishi Valmiki ji and on the other hand it is also the death anniversary of Manyavar Kanshi Ram Saheb.
"चलो बुद्ध की ओर, मिशन जय भीम बुलाता है"मिशन जय भीम के संरक्षक @AdvRajendraPal जी ने गाया शानदार धम्म गीत। जरूर सुनें। pic.twitter.com/iUOiSp8wtb— Mission Jai Bheem (@MissionJayBheem) October 6, 2022
"चलो बुद्ध की ओर, मिशन जय भीम बुलाता है"मिशन जय भीम के संरक्षक @AdvRajendraPal जी ने गाया शानदार धम्म गीत। जरूर सुनें। pic.twitter.com/iUOiSp8wtb
"In such a coincidence, today I have been liberated from many shackles and I have born again today. Now I will continue the fight for rights and atrocities on the society more firmly without any restrictions," tweeted Gautam while sharing his resignation letter.
"BJP has objection to Baba Saheb and 22 oaths given by him. The BJP is using this to do the dirty politics which has hurt me and I am resigning from my ministerial berth," he said in his resignation letter in Hindi.
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