Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], December 20 : Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh on Friday distanced himself from "Shri Ram was Muslim" remark made by party MLA Madan Mitra, asserting that there was no question of the party or its leaders not respecting Lord Ram.
Speaking to reporters, Ghosh said that he was unaware of what Madan Mitra had said or intended to convey. He stressed that Lord Ram is revered by all and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of politicising Lord Ram.
"I do not know what Madan Mitra said and what he wanted to say. We all respect Lord Ram. The BJP markets Lord Ram politically. Lord Ram is our God. There is no question of not believing in him," Ghosh said.
His remarks came after Madan Mitra sparked a political row with a statement questioning Lord Ram's identity. In the speech, delivered in Bengali, Mitra said, "What was Ram's surname? Shri Ram was Muslim," triggering sharp reactions from the BJP, which accused the TMC of insulting Hindu beliefs and hurting religious sentiments.
Reacting strongly, BJP in West Bengal took to social media to criticise the ruling party. "@AitcOfficial leaders cannot help but insult Hindu Gods and Hindu beliefs it seems. Now, TMC MLA Madan Mitra says Lord Ram was a Muslim, not Hindu. This continuous abuse of our culture and history is not a slip of tongue! Rather it is a not-so-subtle message to illegal Bangladeshis, that the TMC is the most Hindu Birodhi party, and therefore represents their beliefs. Thankfully, in a few more months, such anti-Hindu leaders will no longer be in power," BJP's West Bengal's X post read.
https://x.com/BJP4Bengal/status/2001588889170116904
Meanwhile, in another incident, a sharp political debate erupted over Sanjay Singh's statement in Parliament on Friday that invoked the name of the Hindu God Ram.
Sanjay Singh defended his "Ram ke naam mein charitra hona chahiye, warna haram mein bhi Ram likha hua hai (There must be character in the name of 'Ram,' otherwise the word 'Ram' is also found within the word 'Haram' (forbidden/unethical)") statement by saying it was just a reiteration of a quote used by the late former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee himself in response to Ram Vilas' claim that his name contained 'Ram'.
He took a jibe at the BJP, saying the party should hold a press conference and apologise for the "sin" committed by former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee for making the statement in the first place.