Visuals showing top BJP leader Sushma Swaraj dancing at Mahatma Gandhi's samadhi Rajghat while on a protest sparked a controversy Monday with Congress accusing her of hurting the sanctity of the place.
Swaraj defended her act saying she was dancing to the tune of patriotic songs to boost the morale of the cadres which is in keeping with the traditions of the party.
"What kind of fast is this when the Leader of the Opposition is dancing along with her friends at Gandhi's Samadhi," said Congress General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi while taking potshots at India's principal opposition party, the BJP's 24-hour-long satyagraha that began Sunday evening.
"What is it they are celebrating. Is the celebration for putting forward Anna Hazare on the one hand and Swami on the other as their mask?" quipped Dwivedi.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said "for simple reason at the Samadhi of the Father of the Nation, if you are going to dance into jigs, what kind of sanctity of the place you are maintaining."
Responding to the criticism, Swaraj tweeted "this was around 2 in the morning. I stepped in for a brief moment to boost the morale of our Party workers."
She said it was a tradition of the BJP to sing patriotic songs during all protests and senior party leaders also join in as "an expression of comraderie" with the workers and to "keep up spirit" of the workers.
"In keeping with this tradition, I was asked to join in when party workers were singing and dancing to the song 'Ye desh he veer jawano ka'," she explained.
Swaraj said there were serious political speeches by BJP leaders from 7 pm Sunday till midnight and she was "shocked that this is the sole clipping picked up as representative visual of the satyagraha and is being repeatedly telecast."
She contended there was "a complete misrepresentation in the media about our satyagraha."
While taking a dig at Swaraj, Tewari said "I thought you were on a protest but you know the visuals that you see the people singing and dancing doing the jig. What were they celebrating at the political space that Ramdev and Anna Hazare have appropriated for them."
Earlier, Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said "They (BJP) have no sympathy for Ramdev. They are dancing at Rajghat... I don't know whether it is for celebration or mourning or they dancing for Ramdevji's arrest. Their heart is not there...they are just doing politics."
BJP leader Chandan Mitra said devotional songs were being played and the dancing took place not at the Gandhi samadhi but away from there at Samata Sthal.