Bihar Education Minister Chandra Shekhar courted controversy once more when he compared the Hindu scripture Ramcharitmanas with potassium cyanide.
“There are many great things in the Hindi scripture Ramcharitmanas but if you serve 55-kind of dishes and sprinkle potassium cyanide over it, would you eat it? Same is the case with scriptures of Hinduism,” Mr. Chandra Shekhar said in an event organised on Hindi Diwas (Hindi Day) on September 14. The video of his controversial statement, though, went viral on social media on Friday.
The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in the State slammed Mr. Chandra Shekhar for his statement while, the ruling coalition Rashtriya Janata Dal and JD(U) leaders distanced themselves from what the minister has said.
Mr. Chandra Shekhar, who uses a mononym in the tradition of many socialists who dropped their surnames as means of rejecting caste identities within society, is a Rashtriya Janata Dal MA from Madhepura.
“My objection to Ramcharitmanas is firm and it will persist throughout my life. Even Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat has made comment on it,” he said in the viral video. The Education Minister also added that Hindi writers Baba Nagarjun and socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia have also criticised the Hindu epic.
The Minister had, in January this year, stoked a row over the Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas saying, “It is an epic which spreads hatred and foments tension in society.”
In February, he had said, “Whatever garbage is there in Ramcharitmanas has to be removed.” Both these events caused great embarrassment to the ruling grand alliance coalition partners.
The Opposition BJP had slammed the Bihar Minister while daring Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to seek Mr. Chandra Shekhar’s resignation.
Mr. Kumar had to intervene into the issue and suggested Mr. Chandra Shekhar to stay away from making such controversial statements.
“A nation becomes great with love and affection, not with books and scriptures like Ramcharitmanas, Manusmriti and Bunch of Thoughts. These books sowed seeds of hatred and social divide. This is the reason why people burnt Manusmriti and took exception of portion of Ramcharitmanas, which talks against education of dalits, backwards and women,” the minister said.
In the latest row, Mr. Chandra Shekhar has claimed that while his remarks against caste discrimination have evoked abuse and threats of physical violence but “nobody had any problem when similar concerns were expressed by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat”.
The senior RJD minister soon was slammed by the Opposition BJP leaders in the state.
“The Education Minister has insulted the great Sanatana Dharma which included within its fold progressive figures like Sant Ravidas and Sami Vivekananda. We want to know why Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is silent on the diatribe?,” asked state BJP leader and party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar.
He also suggested that Mr. Chandra Shekhar submit his resignation from the government.
Bihar BJP president Samrat Choudhary questioned the RJD minister’s state of mind saying, “The mental state of the Education Minister is disturbed. He should get himself treated. If the Bihar government cannot get him treated, the BJP will do the needful.”
Similarly, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan also attacked Mr. Chandra Shekhar over his statement and said he should be “dismissed from the cabinet”. “The education minister of Bihar should be ashamed as he is poisoning minds of young generation by calling Ramcharitmanas potassium cyanide,” said Chirag Paswan.
However, ruling coalition grand alliance leaders sought to distance themselves away from the Minister’s controversial statements.
“It is true our party stands for social justice but it also stands respectful to all religions. Any utterances which can hurt religious sentiments must be strictly avoided,” said RJD leader and party spokesperson Shakti Yadav while, JD(U) leader and spokesperson Abhishek Jha said, “Some people say things with no apparent purpose other than getting some limelight in media, which we disapprove of.”
