The latest in a series of derogatory remarks concerning Ram Mandir in Ayodhya came from Bihar Education Minister Chandra Shekhar who sparked a controversy, stating that if someone gets injured, he would seek medical attention rather than visiting a temple. The remarks come in a chain of derogatory statements by Opposition leaders on Ram Mandir and Lord Ram. NCP leader Jitendra Awhad had called Ram Lalla a “non-vegetarian” and Tejashwi Yadav had also passed on a statement on the matter.
Chandra Shekhar also suggested the people be cautious of "pseudo-Hinduvaad and pseudo-nationalism."
What did he say?
"If you get injured, where will you go? Temple or hospital? If you want education and want to become an officer, MLA, or MP, will you go to a temple or school?" Chandra Shekhar said while speaking to the reporters on Sunday (January 7).
He extended his support to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA, Fateh Bahadur Singh, and claimed that the latter said the same thing that was previously said by Savitribai Phule.
"Fateh Bahadur Singh (RJD MLA) said the same thing that had been said by Savitribai Phule. What is wrong here? He quoted Savitribai Phule. Isn't education necessary? We should be cautious of pseudo-Hinduvaad and pseudo-nationalism," he said.
"When Lord Ram resides in each one of us and everywhere, where will you go to look for him?... The sites that have been allocated have been made into sites of exploitation, used for filling the pockets of a few conspirators in society," he added.
Fateh Bahadur Singh had put up posters that spoke disparagingly of temples while extolling the virtues of education.
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NDA hits back
BJP ally in the NDA Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan hit back at the Bihar Education Minister and said that he is "abusing Sanatan Dharma" instead of worrying about his own department.
"It is beyond my understanding that instead of worrying about his own department why he is worried about abusing Sanatana Dharma...What surprises me is why his party's leadership and friends in the alliance tolerate this...You are hurting people's sentiments and instigating them. Ministers making such statements should be sacked immediately...If their alliance has lost elections in the past, it is due to such statements," he said.
Previous derogatory remarks by Opposition leaders
Earlier, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav had said that if he gets sick, he should go to the temple or hospital.
"People will go to a hospital and not a temple if they fall sick or get injured. I am not against any religion. I visited Tirupati recently, where my daughter got tonsured. Even I offered my hair. My only concern is to stop the ongoing efforts to alter the fabric of this country," Yadav said while addressing a public meeting on January 4.
Nationalist Congress Party- Sharad Pawar faction leader Jitendra Awhad had erupted a row with his remarks on Lord Ram.
"Ram is ours. Ram belongs to the Bahujans. Ram who hunts and eats is ours, we belong to the Bahujans. When you people go to make us all vegetarian, we follow the ideals of Ram and today we eat mutton. This is the ideal of Ram. Ram was not a vegetarian, he was a non-vegetarian," Awhad said while addressing an event in Maharashtra's Shirdi on January 3.
(With ANI inputs)
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