Appearing on a television debate on news channel India Today, politician and psephologist Yogendra Yadav recalled the story of his grandfather’s murder by a Muslim mob. The story was aimed at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s head of information technology cell Amit Malviya who was Yadav’s co-panelist on the debate and had allegedly accused Yadav of indulging in politics over religion.
According to Yadav, his grandfather Ram Singh was murdered by a Muslim mob in 1936 in front of his father. “He could have become someone who shouts like you in the name of Hindus Hindus Hindus,” Yadav told Malviya.
On the contrary, Yadav said, the incident inspired his father to give all his children Muslim names. Yogendra Yadav was earlier called Salim but his name was changed at the age of five due to alleged bullying and societal pressure. Reportedly, his family still addresses him as Salim.
“I do not know if people like you are capable of understanding human sensitivity of this kind,” Yadav added in his response to Malviya. He also challenged the BJP IT cell head to produce a record of him indulging in politics over religion, telling him to “shut up” if he could not.
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