Under fire for tweet on Jain monk,Dadlani severs ties with AAP

New Delhi, Aug 28 (PTI) AAP supporter and music composerVishal Dadlani came under sharp criticism from severalquarters including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal forhis sarcastic tweet on Jain monk Tarun Sagar’s address to theHaryana Assembly, following which he announced quitting "allactive political work/affiliation". Kejriwal disapproved Dadlani’s remark saying that "TarunSagarji Maharaj is a very revered saint, not just for Jainsbut everyone and those showing disrespect is unfortunate andshould stop", while Delhi PWD Minister Satyendar Jain sought"kshama" from him on behalf of his music composer "friend". Dadlani, however, maintained that he was against the useof religion in governance. The Haryana government had invited the Jain monk, whoappeared in nude, to deliver a lecture ‘Kadve Vachan’ in theAssembly on Friday. After a barrage of criticism, Dadlani tendered an apologyfor his tweet and also deleted it. "It feels bad that I hurt my Jain friends & my friends@ArvindKejriwal & @SatyendarJain. I hereby quit all activepolitical work/affiliation. I apologise again, to the JainCommunity, & all others offended. But I beg you all not tosupport religion in governance, for India’s sake," Dadlanitweeted. "I made a mistake by offending the peaceful Jaincommunity, and I felt the only way to truly apologise, was torenounce my ego. I made a mistake, & I’m genuinely sorry.That’s all," he said. The music composer said no one, not even Kejriwal, hasasked him to quit the party. "A lot is being said against AAP because I chose to quit.Neither Arvind, nor anyone else, asked me to quit. I make myown decisions. I just want to say, AAP is a family. Pleasekeep faith in AK (Kejriwal) & the party! Never forget how hardAK & AAP have fought for all of us. "AAP volunteers, stay strong & fight twice as hard. Withyou all, in spirit," Dadlani said in a series of tweets. "I met Shri Tarun Sagar ji Maharaj last year. Our familyregularly listens to his discourses on TV. We deeply respecthim and his thoughts Tarun Sagar ji Maharaj is a very reveredsaint, not just for Jains but everyone. Those showingdisrespect is unfortunate and should stop (sic)," Kejriwaltweeted. "I apologise for hurting feelings of Jain community by myfriend @VishalDadlani. I seek kshama from Muni Shri TarunSagar ji Maharaj (sic)," Jain tweeted. Dadlani is a staunch supporter of Kejriwal in the filmindustry and had campaigned for the party in Delhi Assemblypolls and the 2014 Lok Sabha election. He had composed the ‘Paanch Saal Kejriwal’ song, whichbecame popular during the 2015 Delhi Assembly polls. PTI PRSMN