Bhagavad Gita Controversy: Russia Feels Sad, Yadav feels bad unfortunately UPA Govt is still Mad

In the wake of an uproar over a move to ban Bhagavad Gita in Tomsk city of Siberia, Russia on Monday expressed sadness over the development, saying it is "inadmissible" that a holy scripture is taken to court. Describing Bhagwat Gita as extremist, a group linked to the Christian Orthodox Church has demanded ban due to conflict of interests between the Russian followers of Lord Krishna and the local authorities in the Siberian region of Tomsk.

Even after Russia cleared its stand and expressed on Bhagvad Gita,  Congress led UPA Government seemed to be unconcerned and clueless on this issue of Bhagvad Gita controversy and fumbled to response the sudden attacking gesture of the Yadavs in the House. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan singh was in Russia recently but has not spared a single word on the continuous appeals from Hindus in Russia.

Parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has tried to cover up and has assured that that government had taken note of the development and External affairs minister S M Krishna will make a statement in the House on Tuesday.

The Bhagvad Gita controversy has once again unveiled the anti-Hindu and anti-indian mindset  of the UPA government and its leader Sonia Gandhi, especially when it is the 'Christian Orthodox Church' which is behind the demand for the ban.

Taking a serious note of the issue and concerning religious rights of the Hindus in Russia, Russian Ambassador in India Alexander M Kadakin, has expressed grief on the issue of claiming a world guiding spiritual text as ' Extremist'. He said that it is strange that such events are unfolding in the beautiful University City in Siberia, as Tomsk which is famous for its secularism and religious tolerance. He commented that it is categorically inadmissible when any holy scripture is taken to the courts. For all believers these texts are sacred," the Ambassador said. "It is not normal either when religious books are sent for examination to ignorant people. Their academic scrutiny should be done at scientists' fora, congresses, seminars, etc but not in courts," he said.

"Russia, as it is known to anyone, is a secular and democratic country where all religions enjoy equal respect. Even more applicable it is to the holy scriptures of various faiths - whether it is the Bible, the Holy Quran, Torah, Avesta and, of course, Bhagavad Gita - the great source of wisdom for the people of India and the world," the Ambassador said. 

A Russian court on Monday suspended its verdict till December 28 on the demand for banning Bhagavad Gita, which a group linked to the Christian Orthodox Church has described as 'extremist'.

The case took an interesting turn when, following last-minute plea by Hindus in Russia, represented by their advocate Mikhail Fralov, the Siberian court has told the Russian human rights panel on Monday to come with its deposition before the verdict, scheduled December 28.

Fralov pleaded with the court to hear the Russian Human Rights Committee for its views on Bhagavad Gita and on the religious minorities' rights, before pronouncing its verdict, he said.

Following the plea, the last of legal options that the Hindus had, the court agreed to hear out the human rights panel, according to Sadhu Priya Das, a Moscow-based Hindu and a devotee of a 40-year old Krishna temple in the Russian capital.

The case, which has been going on since June, seeks a ban on a Russian translation of the "Bhagavad Gita As It Is" written by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon).

It also wants the Hindu religious text banned in Russia, declared it as literature spreading "social discord” and its distribution rendered illegal in Russia.

Indians in Moscow, numbering about 15,000, and followers of the Iskcon religious movement in Russia have appealed to the Indian government to intervene diplomatically to resolve the issue.

Advocate Fralov said the defence sought the deposition of the human rights panel in the case because they wanted to use all the legal options to defend the Gita.

"One of the last few options was to get the Human Rights Committee involved in the case, so that the rights of minorities get highlighted before the court," Fralov said.

He also said Hindus and Krishna devotees in Russia had much earlier represented to the human rights panel asking it to give its views before the court, which it agreed to. The committee, later, also wrote to the Tomsk court that it would like to present its views on the case, which the court accepted.

India has strongly taken up the demand for banning Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita, which a group linked to the Christian Orthodox Church has described as 'extremist', with the Russian authorities, Indian Ambassador to Russia Ajay Malhotra said.

"The matter has been taken up by the Indian Embassy in Moscow with the Russian Government at senior official level, seeking its favourable and positive intervention in the matter," Ambassador Malhotra said, as the court in Tomsk postponed its ruling on the petition banning Bhagwad Gita as 'extremist' and allegedly 'sowing' social-discord in Russia.

Malhotra personally and his mission have publicly expressed their support to the local chapter of International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

The final hearing in the Tomsk District Court is scheduled for December 28, as the Court agreed to seek the opinion of the Russian Ombudsman on Human Rights in Tomsk Region and of Indologists from Moscow and St Petersburg (all of whom favour dismissal of the case).

Meanwhile, the move triggered strong protests by Members of Parliament earlier in day. They wanted the Indian Government to take up the matter strongly with Russia. Lok Sabha was disrupted in spurts over a move by a Siberian court in Russia banning the Bhagwad Gita with Yadav chieftains demanded that India should take up the matter with Mocow. With the government yielding to vociferous protests, RJD chief Lalu Prasad signed off the pro-Gita campaign with cheers of Jai Sri Krishna. Besides Lalu, Mulayam Singh and Sharad Yadav joined the protests and pressed for intervention by the government. BJP also joined in the protest after BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab raised the issue in Zero Hour on Monday.