BJP Expels Rajasthan Leader Dayma For Remarks Against Gurdwaras, Mosques

The BJP in Rajasthan removed Sandeep Dayma, a party leader in Alwar, on Sunday for making insulting remarks about gurdwaras and mosques during a recent rally in the Tijara assembly constituency, news agency PTI reported. Onkar Singh Lakhawat, the head of the Rajasthan BJP’s disciplinary committee, announced the decision to dismiss Dayma. “Sandeep Dayma has been expelled from the party on direction of the state president for making a statement against the ideology of the party,” Lakhawat said.

The move follows considerable condemnation of Dayma’s statement during a rally in Tijara before BJP candidate Baba Balaknath filed his nomination papers for the November 25 Rajasthan assembly elections.

Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, was also present at the event.

Dayma allegedly remarked at a rally on Wednesday that new mosques and gurdwaras will become “open sores” and should be demolished.

In response to the backlash, Dayma, a former chairman of the Tijara Nagar Palika, made a video apology, stating that he meant to say “mosques and madrassas” but instead said “mosques and gurdwaras.”

“With folded hands, I apologise to the Sikh samaj. I don’t know how this mistake happened. I cannot even imagine that I could make such a wrong comment for the Sikh community that has always defended Hindu and ‘Sanatan Dharma’,” Dayma added.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee published Dayma’s video apology on the social networking site ‘X’ on Thursday, charging that the BJP leader should be embarrassed of his apologies as well.

“In his apology, BJP leader Sandeep Dayma, who gave a statement of uprooting gurdwaras and mosques during his party rally in Tijara, says, ‘I wanted to say masjid-madrassa but somehow ended up saying gurdwara.’ He should be ashamed of this statement too as commenting against the religious places of Muslims is equally condemnable…,” it said.

In his apology, BJP leader Sandeep Dayma who gave statement of uprooting Gurdwaras & Masjid during his party rally in Tijara, Rajasthan says, “I wanted to say Masjid-Madrasa, but somehow said Gurdwara.” He should be ashamed of this statement too, as speaking against religious… pic.twitter.com/7NeVXABtgz

— Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (@SGPCAmritsar) November 2, 2023

On Sunday, BJP leaders in Punjab demanded Dayma’s dismissal.

Jai Inder Kaur, the Punjab BJP’s women’s wing president, filed a police complaint against Dayma in Chandigarh.

While senior BJP politician and former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has called for harsh action against Dayma, the party’s Punjab unit chairman, Sunil Jakhar, has warned the Rajasthan leader’s outburst cannot be tolerated.

Dayma ran for the Tijara seat in the 2018 Rajasthan assembly elections.