‘Ram tapakna’: Kumari Selja’s remarks taken out of context to claim she insulted the Hindu deity

by Abhishek Kumar

With assembly elections soon to be held in Haryana, political leaders from various parties have hit the campaign trail. In this context, Congress MP Kumari Selja appeared as a guest for an interview with journalist Ajit Anjum on YouTube.

During the conversation, while speaking about the inauguration and foundation stone laying of projects, she criticised the BJP’s promises. Selja remarked, “You should also look at those inaugurations to see how much has actually been completed. They don’t even spare the Ram temple; they inaugurate half of it, and Ram keeps dripping from it during the monsoon… Forget about these things, all their claims have proven to be false.” This specific part of the interview, especially her use of the phrase ‘Ram tapakna’ (dripping) has been widely shared, with claims that the Congress leader insulted the Hindu god Lord Ram using offensive language.

The video was shared by the official Haryana BJP X handle, which described Selja’s remarks as a reflection of Congress’s hatred towards the Hindu deity Ram. The post stated, “Congress has always insulted Lord Shri Ram Ji. Such language towards Shri Ram Ji is not only an insult to the Hindu faith but also an insult to all Shri Ram devotees.” (Archived link)

BJP spokesperson Anuja Kapoor also objected to the phrase ‘Ram tapakta rehta hai’ and criticised the language used by Kumari Selja, accusing the Congress party of insulting Lord Ram. 

Similarly, BJP supporter Amit Kumar Sindhi shared the video and referred to it the “cheap language”. 

Other BJP-affiliated accounts, such as Political Kida, Jitendra Pratap Singh, and Ocean Jain also shared the clip, questioning Selja’s language and calling it an indecent comment about the Hindu deity.

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Fact Check

In colloquial Haryanvi, ‘Ram tapakna’ refers to the dripping of raindrops. Kumari Selja’s comment in the video aligns with this context, as there were reports a few days after the Ram temple’s inauguration that water was dripping from the temple roof following heavy showers. Many users have also pointed out in the comments of the viral tweets that in Haryanvi, ‘Ram tapakna’ simply means raindrops.

We also found a video statement by Deepender Singh Hooda, a Congress MP from Haryana, published by ANI on January 15, 2024. In this video, recorded during his visit to the Ram temple in Ayodhya for Makar Sankranti, Hooda explains, “In the area where I come from, people start their day by saying Ram-Ram. In that area, when it rains, they say ‘Ram baras gaya’.” This statement clarifies that ‘Ram barasna’ means rain and is not offensive or vulgar language, but rather a common regional expression.

A keyword search led us to a Facebook post from 2023, which further explains that in Haryana, the word ‘Ram’ is used in various ways, including to refer to rain. The post mentions that when it rains in Haryana, people say, “Ram aaya hai,” or “Bahut Ram barsa bhai.”

The readers should note that Kumari Selja was born and brought up in Haryana and for the most part of her political career, she has worked in that state.

To sum it up, many BJP leaders and supporters misrepresented the colloquialism used by Kumari Selja, incorrectly portraying it as an insult to Hindu deity Ram. In fact, in the Haryanvi dialect, ‘Ram tapakna’ (dripping) simply refers to raindrops falling, and is not a derogatory comment.

 

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About the Author

Abhishek is a senior fact-checking journalist and researcher at Alt News. He has a keen interest in information verification and technology. He is always eager to learn new skills, explore new OSINT tools and techniques. Prior to joining Alt News, he worked in the field of content development and analysis with a major focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO).