Bihar education minister Chandrashekhar on Thursday, January 12, stood by his previous statement made earlier in the week, claiming that the poem "Ramcharitmanas," based on the epic "Ramayana," promotes hatred in society. Speaking at the 15th convocation ceremony of Nalanda Open University on January 11, he stated that the "Ramcharitmanas" and "Manusmriti" are divisive texts and certain sections promote discrimination against certain castes. He also said that the "Saffron Sangh" should apologize for not being aware of the facts and not apologise for his statement.
"Why was there resistance to the Ramcharitmanas? It says people from lower castes could be as dangerous as snakes after receiving education," the minister from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had earlier said on Tuesday, January 10. Chandrashekhar alleged that Hindu texts such as Manusmriti and Ramcharitmanas are against the education of Dalits, other backward classes and women. "Manusmriti, Ramcharitmanas, Bunch of Thoughts by saffron ideologue Guru Golwalkar spread hatred. Love, not hatred, makes the country great," he added.
His comments ruffled quite a few feathers, with Ayodhya Seer Jagadguru Paramhans demanding legal action and an apology. He threatened the minister with a reward of Rs 10 crore " to the one who will chop off the [minister's] tongue," reported ANI.
Earlier this month, Kerala Minister, and member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), MB Rajesh made a similar statement about Manusmriti claiming that it advocates a 'cruel' caste system, reported ANI. Speaking at a programme of Varkala Sivagiri Mutt, Rajesh had said, "If Kerala has an acharya, it's Sree Narayana guru and not Adi Shankaracharya."
