The move to Ban Bhagwad Gita by a Siberian court led to a storm in the Lok Sabha on Monday, with several members denouncing it and demanding that the government take it up strongly with Russia.
“We will not tolerate any move to insult Lord Krishna,” said RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who was supported by several members angry over reports that a court in Tomsk was due to pronounce its verdict in a case calling for a ban on the Bhagwad Gita.
The reason for the reported move is that the Russian translation of a book Bhagwad Gita As It is written by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), was apparently spreading “social discord”.
The issue was raised during Zero Hour by Bhratruhari Mahtab (BJD) who demanded that the Indian Embassy in Moscow should take the issue up with the Russian authorities, saying “the Gita does not preach hatred.”
Demanding that religious freedom of the Hindus in Russia should not be compromised, he said the ISKCON had also appealed in this regard to the Indian government.
As soon as he finished speaking, members of Shiv Sena, BJP, RJD, BSP, Samajwadi Party and one Congress member, Ijyaraj Singh, stood up and protested the move. They also sought an immediate intervention by the government.
Speaker Meira Kumar, while asking them to maintain order, advised them to submit notices to have a full-fledged discussion on the subject.
Lalu Prasad said the government should lodge a strong protest with Russia, adding “insult to Lord Krishna and the Gita will not be tolerated.”
