India News | 'Naya Naya Hindu' Akhilesh Doesn't Know Difference Between Ram Navami and Maha Navami, Says BJP

Lucknow, Oct 14 (PTI) Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav invited the ire of the BJP on Thursday over his tweet wishing people on the occasion of "Ram Navami" on a day when Hindus worldwide celebrate "Maha Navami", with the ruling party describing him as "naya naya Hindu".

In the tweet, Yadav extended his greetings to people on "Ram Navami".

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Prominent among those who were quick to respond was Amit Malviya of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who pointed out that Ram Navami is celebrated in the month of "Chaitra" in the Hindu calendar, which falls in March-April, and during this period, people celebrate "Maha Navami", which is a day of worshipping goddess Durga.

"This is what happens when those who open fire on kar sevaks put up the drama of being Hindus with elections approaching," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

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The official Twitter handle of the Uttar Pradesh BJP posted two pictures side by side -- one of Yadav and another of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath performing "kanya pujan" -- and said "the difference is clear -- naya naya Hindu (new Hindu) and Sanatani Hindu".

"Akhileshji, who does not know the difference between Ram Navami and Maha Navami, talks about Ram and Parashuram. Do not fool the people (maat pehnaye topi), it looks better on you," it said.

SP workers often wear red caps.

The SP had announced that a 108-foot-tall statue of Lord Parashuram will be installed in Lucknow.

The BJP has claimed that the SP president has withdrawn his tweet and his Twitter handle now conveys his wishes to people on Maha Navami.

BJP leaders also retweeted a similar tweet by senior Congress leader Anand Sharma, who wished people on Ram Navami.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)