'Bhagwat Gita can't be imposed on other religions'

New Delhi: Law Minister H R Bharadwaj has come out strongly against the observation of an Allahabad High Court Judge saying that the sacred Hindu text Bhagwat Gita should be made the Dharmshastra of the country.

“It is an observation and not a judgement. What he has said is not desirable,” he said in response to Justice S N Srivastava’s pronouncement that under Article 51-A of the Constitution, it is the duty of every citizen to follow the principles propounded by the Gita.

The judge made the observation on August 30, while hearing a case filed by Shyamal Ranjan Mukherji, a priest at the Gopal Thakur Mandir in Varanasi..

Law Minister Bharadwaj, on Tuesday, stressed that the Gita cannot be imposed on people of other religions.

He added that Judge S N Srivastava's statement was simply an observation and not a judicial ruling.