NCP Leader Expresses Regret Over 'Lord Ram Is Non-Vegetarian' Remark After Backlash

On his 'non-vegetarian' remark on Lord Ram, Jitendra Awhad said that he did not want to hurt anyone's sentiments.

NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Jitendra Awhad.

Source : PTI

After facing backlash over his "Lord Ram is non-vegetarian' remark, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Jitendra Awhad 'expressed regret' on Wednesday and said that he did not want to hurt anyone's sentiments. "I express regret. I did not want to hurt anyone's sentiments," Awhad said, as quoted by news agency ANI.

#WATCH | On his "non-vegetarian" comment on Lord Ram, NCP-Sharad Pawar faction leader Jitendra Awhad says, "I express regret. I did not want to hurt anyone's sentiments." pic.twitter.com/wFIAXQXAKb

— ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2024

“I did not bring the idea [of Lord Ram being non-vegetarian] from my home. It's written in the Valmiki Ramayana. The authentic version of 1891, printed in Calcutta and IIT Kanpur, has worked a lot, and I put everything in front of the public. I have not done this. Whatever was written in 1891, I did not write it,” the NCP leader said.

Awhad's apology comes after he stirred a controversy due to the remark. Speaking at an event in Maharashtra's Shirdi on Wednesday, Awhad said that Lord Ram was not a vegetarian else how he could have survived in a forest for 14 years. 

"Lord Ram was not a vegetarian, he was a non-vegetarian. Where would a person living in the forest for 14 years go to find vegetarian food," said the NCP leader. Awhad drew ire from the Bharatiya Janata Party and Hindu priests who called Awhad a "lier". 

BJP leader Ram Kadam slammed Awhad and said that he will file a police complaint against Awhad for hurting the sentiments of the Ram bhakts and also took a shot at the opposition's I.N.D.I.A  bloc. 

"Their mindset is to hurt the sentiments of the Ram bhakts," Kadam said while speaking to news agency ANI. "They can't make fun of the Hindu religion to gather votes.  The fact that Ram mandir has been built has not gown down well with the 'ghamandi' alliance," he added. 

Reacting to the NCP leader's statement, Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das said that nothing as such has been written in any of the Hindu scriptures. He also called out Awhad as a "lier" who is speaking demeaning words to insult Lord Ram.