New Delhi: Bihar education minister Chandra Shekhar once again stoked a fresh controversy after he compared Ramcharitmanas, a Hindu religious book based on the epic Ramayana, with potassium cyanide, news agency PTI reported. The RJD leader made the remarks during an event on Thursday, the video of which has gone viral on the social media.
Addressing the function, Chandra Shekhar, as quoted by PTI said, “It is not just my view but even great Hindi writer Nagarjuna and socialist thinker Ram Manohar Lohia have said that the Ramcharitmanas contains many regressive thoughts.”
“There are many great things in scriptures but if at a feast 55 dishes are served with a sprinkling of potassium cyanide, the food is rendered unfit for consumption,” the minister added.
He further said that while his remarks about caste discrimination have evoked criticism and even threats of physical violence, nobody has had any issues with similar concerns flagged by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
Asserting that caste census is a necessary step, the RJD leader added that his objection to Ramcharitmanas is firm and would persist till those involved in cleaning of gutters are seen with dignity, PTI reported.
“Unless the castes of those stepping in gutter are changed, there will be a need for reservation and caste census,” Chandra Shekhar said.
However, his remarks drew sharp criticism from ally JD(U) and rival BJP. Even his own party sought to distance itself from his statement.
"The education minister has insulted the great Sanatana Dharma which includes within its fold progressive figures like Sant Ravidas and Swami Vivekananda. We want to know why Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is silent on the diatribe", PTI quoted BJP media panellist Neeraj Kumar as saying.
Responding to his remarks, Union Minister Nityanand Rai as quoted by ANI said, "I want him to hire a good teacher who would help him read and understand every line of Ramayana. Then he should comment on Ramayana and Mahabharata. His statement is a sign of their (RJD’s) sick mentality. Cyanide is not Mahabharata and Ramayana. Cyanide is appeasement, corruption and government sheltering."
Abhishek Jha, state spokesman of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's JD(U), said, "The Constitution entails that all faiths are to be accorded equal respect. Some people say things with no apparent purpose other than getting some limelight, which we disapprove of".
Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav said this is a question of religious beliefs and the education minister should not have made such remarks. "This is a question related to religious beliefs. We are believers of the Constitution and we feel that he should not speak on such things," he told ANI.
RJD spokesman Shakti Yadav also issued a statement saying, "It is true that our party stands for social justice but also stands for respecting all religions. Any utterances which can hurt religious sentiments must be strictly avoided."