Mumbai (Maharashtra): Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said that he was not waiting for an invitation for the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram idol in Ayodhya on January 22 and he would go there when it is in his destiny.
"I am not waiting for an invitation to Ram Mandir (event). Now there will be a huge gathering there, so I will not go in that crowd, I will definitely go when it is in my destiny," Pawar told reporters at a media conference here.
The former Maharashtra Chief Minister also said that there was no need for senior NCP leader Jitendra Awhad to remark about the food habits of Lord Ram. "Lord Ram is an object of faith, it goes without saying that Lord Ram has and will always have a place in the hearts of the people of this country. There was no need for Jitendra Awad to make such a statement," the former Union Defence Minister said.
He also said that it was inappropriate to organise essay writing competitions on Lord Ram in government or municipal schools.
"Essays or competitions on (Lord) Ram are being organised by teachers in many government or municipal schools, and I understand that it is not appropriate to conduct such programs in schools and that the Guardian Minister of Mumbai is very insistent about it. The country is secular, with a stance on interfaith equality. We have as much faith in Hinduism or Lord Ram as we have faith in Muslims, Islam, Prophet Muhammad or Jesus (Christ) of Christianity, and thus inculcating this kind of role in the minds of the new generation is not appropriate in a secular country," asserted Pawar.
He said that the INDIA alliance will lead the country unitedly. "The people who are sitting in the power of the country today have no interest in the ideology of (Rajashi) Shahu, (Mahatma) Phule or (Babasaheb) Ambedkar," he added.
Pawar also spoke on the remarks made by politicians in Maldives on Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying it is one's duty to respect the Prime Minister.
"We will not tolerate insulting the Prime Minister of the country outside the country, he is the Prime Minister of this country, so it is our duty to respect him," he concluded.
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