Patna: Amid the raging political row over the Ramcharitmanas, Ritlal Yadav, RJD MLA from Danapur in capital Patna has said that the poem by the 16th century Bhakti poet Tulsidas was written inside the mosque. While addressing a function in Patna, the RJD MLA said, “Hindutva Raj, you are busy fighting each other. How long will this go on? There was a time when Ram Mandir was on the agenda, people talked about Ram Mandir.
When Ramcharitmanas was written, it was written in a mosque. Wasn't our Hindutva in danger at that time? Wasn't our Hindu in danger during the Mughal period?,” Yadav said. "When a Muslim girl wins an award for Bhagwat Katha, people don't say anything. When our country was a slave, Muslims should have been banished from the country. BJP should expel Muslim leaders from their party," Ritlal Yadav said.
Also read: Former Bihar CM Manjhi hits out at Manuvadi mindset, says Ravan always treated in low esteem
On the other hand, JDU, an ally of RJD in Bihar, has distanced itself from this controversy. JDU spokesperson Abhishek Jha said that it is not right to speak like this on religion. “Everyone has faith in their own religion. That's why he should not make such a statement,” Jha said. Pertinently, earlier in January 2023, during a program in Nalanda, Bihar's Education Minister Chandrashekhar had given a controversial statement regarding Ramcharitmanas.
The Bihar minister had described Ramcharitmanas as a book “full of hatred”. In March this year, former Bihar Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) president Jitan Ram Manjhi had said that “several stanzas in Ramcharitmanas put women, Dalits and others in a low esteem”. “Such offensive lines must be removed from Ramcharitmanas.
In the books authored by Rahul Sankrityayan, Lokmanya Tilak, Lord Ram was mentioned as an imaginary character. But, when we were questioning or raising voice, then it is taken otherwise," Manjhi had said.
