‘Cut a lemon’ to stop rain, says Chhattisgarh MP; ‘try it on inflation’, adds Congress | Raipur News

RAIPUR: “The weather was bad, raining heavily and I got the information that CM would be on visit but I prayed to Mahadev and cut a lemon and I stopped the rain,” said Kanker BJP MP Bhojraj Nag, who has repeatedly invoked lemons, jhaad-phoonk and “ghost-removal” in public remarks, has triggered a fresh discussion by claiming he stopped rain in Balod district by praying to Budhadev and Mahadev and cutting a lemon.He had previously threatened to “cut a lemon” for officials who failed to respond to public complaints, a remark interpreted as invoking a ritual to “remove” supposed obstruction or ill luck. He has also drawn attention in the past for comments linked to jhaad-phoonk and similar practices.Nag made the remark at a public meeting in Daundilohara on Tuesday, where chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai had arrived for a Mahtari Vandan scheme event. A video of the statement has since gone viral, drawing ridicule from the Congress and criticism from anti-superstition campaigners.Referring to the bad weather, Nag said the chief minister’s protocol had arrived around midnight and that conditions had been poor even the previous day. He then said he prayed to Budhadev and Mahadev and “cut a lemon” to stop the rain so that the programme could go ahead.“Now the programme has been successful. If it has to rain, let it rain,” the MP said, prompting smiles and laughter from Sai and others on the dais.‘Try it for inflation,’ says CongChhattisgarh Congress chief Deepak Baij ridiculed the statement, accusing the Nag of indulging in a charade and spreading superstition and misinformation. “If cutting a lemon can stop rain, he should cut one to bring down sugar prices and inflation as well,” Baij said, taking a swipe at Nag’s claim.The remark was also widely mocked on social media, with users asking whether the same method could be deployed to reduce electricity bills, fuel prices and household expenses.