BJP files complaint against NCP leader Awhad over his remarks on Lord Ram

BJP Maharashtra MLA Ram Kadam has filed a complaint against Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Pawar faction leader Jitendra Awhad on Thursday after he remarked on Lord Ram.

Awhad on Wednesday claimed that Lord Ram belonged to the 'Bahujans' (people in majority) and was a non-vegetarian, contrary to common belief.

"Their mindset is to hurt the sentiments of the Ram bhakts. They can't make fun of the Hindu religion to gather votes. The fact that Ram mandir has been built has not gown down well with the 'ghamandi' alliance," Ram Kadam said.

Awhad's remarks come a day after Ram Kadam urged the Maharashtra government for a one-day ban on alcohol and meat on the Ayodhya consecration ceremony day on January 22.

"Ram is ours. Ram belongs to the Bahujans. Ram who hunts and eats is ours, we belong to the Bahujans," Awhad said while addressing an event in Maharashtra's Shirdi on Wednesday.

"When you people go to make us all vegetarian, we follow the ideals of Ram and today we eat mutton. This is the ideal of Ram. Ram was not a vegetarian, he was a non-vegetarian," he added.

The statement by the NCP leader also drew criticism from Hindu seers. Ayodhya Seer Paramhans Acharya said, "The statement given by Jitendra Awhad is contemptuous and hurts the sentiment of Lord Ram devotees...I would urge Maharashtra and the central government to take strict action against people who speak foul of Lord Ram...If strict actions are not taken against him, then I will kill the Jitendra Awhad. I'm giving a warning."

Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das said, "What NCP leader Jitendra Awhad is speaking is completely false. It isn't written anywhere in our scriptures that Lord Ram had non-vegetarian food during his exile. It's written that he used to have fruits...Such a liar has no right to insult our Lord Ram...Our God was always vegetarian...He is speaking demeaning words to insult our Lord Ram.