(From left) Justice Haider Raza, Surendra Rajput and Sudhanshu Trivedi at Lucknow Literature Festival on Satur... Read More

LUCKNOW: Questioning the tag of a ‘great emperor’ given to King Ashoka, BJP national spokesperson Sundhansu Trivedi on Saturday said it was Chandragupta Maurya, a low caste king guided by Brahmins who fought foreign invaders and established one great nation, who was great.

“It was after Ashoka’s giving up of sword that foreign invasions into India started,” he said at the fifth edition of the Lucknow Literature Festival (LLF) on Saturday, while speaking on nationalism. Trivedi added that Ashoka’s greatness was only by virtue of British history we read.

The panel also had Justice Haider Raza (retired) and war veteran General H Kakkad while Guru Prakash affiliated to ABVP was the moderator.

Trivedi’s reply came on a statement made by UP Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput who said the BJP was targeting Tipu Sultan and other medieval rulers for killing Hindus while King Ashoka was called a ‘great’ emperor even after killing over one lakh Hindus in Kalinga war. He said Tipu also killed Muslims and Christians in wars to save his empire.

Rajput said BJP’s aggressive nationalism has instilled insecurity and fear among minorities. “India is not a piece of land but part of a tradition. It was only because Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel made over 500 royal estates join India that we see its map in current form”.

Trivedi countered the statement saying it was the Congress which at its 1916 session in Lucknow first sowed the seeds of division on the basis of religious representation.

‘Everything done under court order’

To a question over why Ram temple issue was raised only before elections, Sudhanshu Trivedi said, “From the matter starting in 1949, everything was done under court orders.” He raised the Shah Bano case saying, “Congress brought an ordinance but when people talk about Ram temple, they bring in court.”

