The Janata Dal (United) JD(U) on Friday expressed its strong reservations on the state education minister Chandrashekhar’s statement on “Ramcharitmanas” during a speech at a university convocation on Wednesday.
“You have said a couplet (chaupai) and it created a sensation in the whole country. Ten people are speaking against you. This is creating confusion among the people about the Grand Alliance (GA), that we are anti-Hindu and opposed to Ramcharitmanas. BJP is benefiting from such statements,” said JD (U) minister Ashok Chaudhary.
“I condemn such statements, even it is his personal opinion and the minister should take it back,” demanded the minister.
The JD(U) minister said “such statements and use of language should be stopped. It is not appropriate to make such a statement. I think it was given in a haste. A sensation has been born in the country from misrepresentation of a couplet.”
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However, the minister refused to comment on the questions related to his resignation.
“The RJD spokesperson had already said that this was minister’s personal observation and party does not support it,” he said.
Chaudhary said that JD (U) and its leader always talk about “co-existence of all.”
“CM Nitish Kumar goes and roams in the pandal during Durga Puja, he has developed Sufi sites in state and even on the 250th Prakashotsav, everyone has seen how arrangements were made,” said the minister.
“There is a couplet in Ramcharitmanas, but in what context it has been said, tell this to the people too. You are state’s education minister and if you present the things in such a way, it will create confusion among the youth,” the JD(U) minister said.
“People have faith in Ramcharitmanas for thousands of years,” he added.
Reacting on the statement on Thursday, CM Kumar said, “I don’t know what’s it about… I will find out from the minister,” Kumar told reporters in Madhubani when asked about Chandrashekhar’s comments.
Education minister Chandrashekhar, a three-time MLA from Madhepura had stoked a controversy after he said, “Religious texts like Ramacharitmanas spread hatred just as ‘Manusmriti’ and Golwalkar’s ‘Bunch of Thoughts’ created social divide in different eras.”
The education minister however remained defiant on Thursday and refused to apologise even as chief minister Kumar pleaded ignorance on the matter.
“I don’t need to apologise, as what I have said is there for anyone to read. The BJP is not aware of the facts and is unnecessarily making a hue and cry over it”, he said.
The BJP did not take the comments lightly and pushed for the resignation of the minister and removal from the cabinet.
Leader of opposition (LoP) Vijay Kumar Singh demanded that a case be registered against the minister for his utterances and that deputy CM Tejaswhi Prasad Yadav clear his stand on it.
