NEW DELHI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Jitendra Awhad, who has stoked a controversy with his claim that Lord Ram was non-vegetarian, on Thursday cited a research paper on Valmiki Ramayana by IIT Kanpur to defend his remark. This, even as he expressed regrets over his remarks.
“It is not my job to distort history. I have not made any statement without studying the matter, but these days emotions get much more importance than scholarship.I express regret if my remarks have hurt anyone,” Awhad said amid a severe backlash over his comments.
On Wednesday, Awhad at an event in Shirdi, had said: “Lord Ram is ours. He belongs to the Bahujans. Lord Ram, who hunts and eats (flesh) is ours, we belong to the Bahujans. Some people make us out to be vegetarians. But we follow the ideals of Lord Ram and today we consume mutton. This is in keeping with the ideals of Lord Ram.”
With his comments kicking up a massive row, the NCP leader tried to put up a strong defence and said the remarks were not his own interpretation in the matter but was based on an ‘authentic’ version of Valmiki Ramayana.
“Look, I am telling you I did not bring my own interpretation or views into it. I did not incorporate any ideas of my own. I based my opinion on whatever is written in Valmiki Ramayana,” the NCP leader said.
“Valmiki Ramayana has six khands. What does the 120th verse of the Ayodhya khand say? My remarks were based on the verses from Valmiki Ramayana. Please read the Valmiki Ramayana and you will know for yourself,” the NCP leader said.
“I have an authentic version of the Ramayana, which was written eighteen hundred years ago. This book was printed in Kolkata in 1891. IIT Kanpur has even published a research paper on it. And what I said is already in the public domain,” the NCP leader added.
He asserted that his words were a reflection of the ideas and principles that he holds dear, reiterating, however, that he did not intend to offend anyone’s sentiments.
BJP leader demands FIR against Awhad
BJP MLA Ram Kadam submitted an application to the suburban Ghatkopar police in Mumbai, seeking an FIR against Awhad for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments. Talking to reporters, he also sought to know why Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar — whose parties are constituents of an alliance in the state — were “keeping silent when their own leader and colleague is hurting the sentiments of crores of people”.
Former MP Anand Paranjpe, who owes allegiance to the Ajit Pawar camp of the NCP, demanded that an FIR be registered against Awhad.
‘He apologised out of fear’
Union minister Giriraj Singh rejected Awhad’s apology.
“He said it and then apologised for it. He verbally abused Lord Ram to attack the Hindu faith. He has not apologised because he realised his mistake, he did it out of fear. Because the youth of today do not tolerate this. They (NCP) made him apologise but apologising after using foul language is not acceptable,” Giriraj Singh said.
(With inputs from agencies)
“It is not my job to distort history. I have not made any statement without studying the matter, but these days emotions get much more importance than scholarship.I express regret if my remarks have hurt anyone,” Awhad said amid a severe backlash over his comments.
On Wednesday, Awhad at an event in Shirdi, had said: “Lord Ram is ours. He belongs to the Bahujans. Lord Ram, who hunts and eats (flesh) is ours, we belong to the Bahujans. Some people make us out to be vegetarians. But we follow the ideals of Lord Ram and today we consume mutton. This is in keeping with the ideals of Lord Ram.”
With his comments kicking up a massive row, the NCP leader tried to put up a strong defence and said the remarks were not his own interpretation in the matter but was based on an ‘authentic’ version of Valmiki Ramayana.
“Look, I am telling you I did not bring my own interpretation or views into it. I did not incorporate any ideas of my own. I based my opinion on whatever is written in Valmiki Ramayana,” the NCP leader said.
“Valmiki Ramayana has six khands. What does the 120th verse of the Ayodhya khand say? My remarks were based on the verses from Valmiki Ramayana. Please read the Valmiki Ramayana and you will know for yourself,” the NCP leader said.
“I have an authentic version of the Ramayana, which was written eighteen hundred years ago. This book was printed in Kolkata in 1891. IIT Kanpur has even published a research paper on it. And what I said is already in the public domain,” the NCP leader added.
He asserted that his words were a reflection of the ideas and principles that he holds dear, reiterating, however, that he did not intend to offend anyone’s sentiments.
BJP leader demands FIR against Awhad
BJP MLA Ram Kadam submitted an application to the suburban Ghatkopar police in Mumbai, seeking an FIR against Awhad for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments. Talking to reporters, he also sought to know why Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar — whose parties are constituents of an alliance in the state — were “keeping silent when their own leader and colleague is hurting the sentiments of crores of people”.
Former MP Anand Paranjpe, who owes allegiance to the Ajit Pawar camp of the NCP, demanded that an FIR be registered against Awhad.
‘He apologised out of fear’
Union minister Giriraj Singh rejected Awhad’s apology.
“He said it and then apologised for it. He verbally abused Lord Ram to attack the Hindu faith. He has not apologised because he realised his mistake, he did it out of fear. Because the youth of today do not tolerate this. They (NCP) made him apologise but apologising after using foul language is not acceptable,” Giriraj Singh said.
(With inputs from agencies)
