Bihar BJP takes arms against ally's 'Ram not god' assertion
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Patna: BJP in Bihar take up their arms against former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi for calling Lord Ram a mythical character and not a god. Coming heavily on Manjhi, the BJP warned that he will face the wrath for denigrating the divine deity.
The founder of Hindustani Awam Morcha, which is an ally in the Nitish Kumar government along with the BJP, made this remark while attending BR Ambedkar's birth anniversary in Jamui district.
Manjhi even narrated a story of Ram to question the untouchability prevalent in the Hindu community. He said in Ramayana, there is part which tells the story of Lord Ram and Shabari, whom Dalits consider a cultural icon.
Rama had eaten the fruits which had been bitten by Shabari without any hesitation and repulsion.
"Why do the upper caste people not follow the example to shun the practice of untouchability? I don't think Lord Ram was a god. But he was a character of Valmiki's Ramayana and Ramacharitmanas penned by Goswami Tulsidas. Both works contain valuable teachings," Manjhi is reported to have said during his speech.
Former Deputy CM and Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi ridiculed Manjhi for his claim as Shabari's devotee by casting doubt on the existence of the one she worshipped. State BJP spokesperson and OBC Morcha national general secretary Nikhil Anand questioned Manjhi's faith in god.
Manjhi has been in politics for about four decades, but he owes his rise to prominence, to an extent, to the BJP.
A party-hopper who has been with the Congress, the RJD as well as the JD(U), Manjhi floated his own outfit in 2015 after revolting against Nitish Kumar who made him step down less than a year after having hand-picked him for the top job.