Bihar minister faces flak for calling Prophet Mohammed 'Maryada Purushottam'
The BJP has accused Chandra Shekhar Yadav of engaging in appeasement politics
Bihar Education Minister and RJD MLA Chandra Shekhar Yadav has been at the receiving end of criticism for calling Prophet Muhammad 'Maryada Purushottam,' a term usually used for Lord Ram, with the BJP accusing him of playing appeasement politics.
Danish Iqbal, who is in charge of media for the Bihar BJP, expressed his disapproval, calling Yadav's statement a clear example of appeasement.
He pointed out that the education minister had previously made a controversial statement about a religious book and now this statement could further divide society.
Iqbal noted that such actions have been a pattern for the RJD and accused the party of playing divisive politics.
Iqbal alleged that the education minister made the statement to cater to the votes of a particular religious group, which he believed was inappropriate.
He stressed that all religions promote messages of peace, and that the BJP respects all religions. Iqbal also asked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to take action against an education minister making such statements.
BJP spokesperson Arvind Singh remarked, "RJD doesn't align with Hindus or Muslims. Instead, this party seems beholden to one family. They frequently shift their focus between Hindus, Muslims, Ramayana, and Muhammad, solely for the purpose of garnering votes through religious and caste-based divisions. Such actions are highly reprehensible."
Chandra Shekhar Yadav made these controversial remarks during a speech at an event celebrating Janmashtami in Hilsa in Bihar's Nalanda district.
In his speech, he had mentioned that when the world faced increased wrongdoing and lost faith, God sent 'Maryada Purushottam Prophet Muhammad Sahib' to Central Asia to bring faith.
He insisted that Islam emerged to combat dishonesty and wrongdoing, and even if “some dishonest people call themselves Muslims, God doesn't condone it”.
Yadav had previously made headlines for his comments on Ramcharitmanas, which had received strong criticism. On January 11, 2023, he referred to a couplet from Ramcharitmanas, which roughly translates into, “even in the lowest caste, one can attain knowledge, just as a snake can be made to drink milk”.
He argued that the term "Adham" in the couplet implied lower status, which he linked to caste. Yadav suggested that the couplet conveyed the idea that individuals from lower castes, including Dalits, backward classes, and women, were not entitled to education.
This statement had stirred controversy and led to criticism at the time.
