Congress, SP corner BJP over Nishad's remark on Lord Ram

Lucknow, Nov 9: The opposition parties have targeted the BJP over Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad's controversial comments on Lord Ram.

Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad had claimed that Shringi Rishi Nishad and not king Dashrath was the father of Lord Ram, triggering the opposition to demand a reaction from the BJP over the controversial remark by its ally.

Lord Ram was born following a yagya performed by Shringi Rishi, according to the scriptures. Portions of sweet kheer were distributed among Dashrath's wives after the ritual, he said. "No child can be born by feeding kheer," Nishad, a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, said in a statement in Prayagraj on Sunday.

He argued that the yagya was just for "namesake" and called the kheer version a "respectful" story.

Sanjay Nishad referred to Lord Ram as Dashrath's "so-called son" and the saint's "real son". Asked to comment on the sidelines of the Allahabad University convocation on Monday, BJP's election in-charge for the state and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was dismissive. "Sanjay Nishad has said a lot of things to me as well. His party is part of the NDA and he is our good ally, and we will fight the elections together," he said.

Whereas BJP state vice president Vijay Bahadur Pathak said he was not aware of Nishad's remark.

On the other hand, the opposition has used this opportunity to target the BJP, which is known for raising issues related to the Hindus. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief MP Asaduddin Owaisi demanded a clarification from RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Nishad's statement and said BJP leaders should give an explanation.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ashutosh Verma stated that the BJP should answer since Nishad's party is an ally of the saffron party. He said Nishad started talking about "Ram-Rahim" as soon as he came together with the BJP.

"Inflation, unemployment and development are our main issues. I think Nishad ji should talk on serious issues now that he has become an MLC," he added.

Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Lalan Kumar criticised Nishad over his remark and said that he lost his "mental balance" after allying with the BJP, and demanded an "unconditional apology" from him.

He said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath sometimes "insults" Mother Sita and or calls Lord Hanuman a Dalit, and Nishad too has become a victim of "mental bankruptcy". He accused the BJP and its allies of trying to change "religious history and facts". The devout will not remain silent on this. The BJP, which is doing politics on Lord Ram and the temple, should clarify its stand on Nishad's statement," the Congress leader added. PTI