Bihar Education Minister Compares Ramcharitmanas to Potassium Cyanide: Controversy Erupts.
Bihar Education Minister Chandra Shekhar on Thursday compared Hindu religious book, Ramcharitmanas to Potassium Cyanide, stirred controversy. While addressing an event on the occasion of Hindi Diwas, the RJD leader said: “There are many great things in scriptures, but if at a feast 55 dish are served with a sprinkling of potassium cyanide, the food is rendered unfit for consumption, will you eat it? So my objection is there and will be there for the rest of my life”.
This is the second time, Minister evoked controversy citing, Ramcharitamanas, a religious book based on Ramayana. Earlier this year, while addressing an event on Nalanda Open University he said that “Ramcharitamanas and Manusmriti are books spread hatred in the society.”
Opposition leaders reacted strongly to Mr. Shekhar’ statement. BJP media panelist, Neeraj Kumar said, education minister “insulted the great Sanatana Dharma,” and Union minister Nityanand Rai said, the statement “represents their (RJD’s) sick mentality,” quotes Hindustan Times. Senior BJP leader and spokesperson Arvind Singh said: “The education minister is cyanide for education and humanity as well,” The Weekend Leader cited.
Lok Janashakti Party leader Chirag Paswan commented on the degrading quality of primary education in Bihar. He added that any one can identify that these controversial statements, will “give rise to division in society.”
On Ramcharitmanas row, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Mayawati said, for the marginalised sections, nor the Ramcharitmanas or Manusmriti is their sacred text, but Constitution.
On Minister’s comment, 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.”
Similarly, Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav told news agency ANI that “since it is a question of religious beliefs, as a believers of Constitution, he should not speak on such matter.”
