What good use are temples?: Bihar minister defends views on Ram Mandir

Bihar education minister Chandra Shekhar defended his statement on the need for temples, referring to the upcoming Ram Temple event, scheduled to happen on January 22 in UP's Ayodhya

Days after evoking a controversy through his remarks on the Ram Temple event, Bihar education minister Chandra Shekhar, on Thursday, defended his statement, saying he is not against Ram but the people doing business in the name of god.

Alleging that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is using the revered Hindu figure for "political gains", the minister questioned that, "When god is everywhere, then, of what good use are the temples other than being a business institution."

"….I am not against Ram, I am against hatred and fascism," he said.

Shekhar's latest remarks followed days after he questioned the need for temples over hospitals, on Sunday. Cautioning against "pseudo-Hinduvaad and pseudo-nationalism", he asked the reporters, "If you get injured, where will you go? Temple or hospital? If you want education and want to become an officer, MLA, or MP, will you go to a temple or school?"

Tej Pratap Yadav's advice on temple row

Notably, as Shekhar's remarks drew the flak of the BJP and call for his resignation, the Bihar minister's colleague Tej Pratap Yadav had urged people to exercise caution when making statements related to religion.

Shekhar, known for remaining in the spotlight over his controversial remarks, had also sparked a massive political row in September last year.

Speaking at an event on Hindi Diwas (September 14), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader had said, "If you serve 56 kinds of dishes and mix potassium cyanide into them, would you eat them? The same analogy applies to the scriptures of Hinduism."

Notably, the Nationalist Congress Party leader Jitendra Awhad had also created a controversy last week, after he called lord Ram a "non-vegetarian." He later issued an apology on Thursday.

Political temperature is soaring high in India as the Ram Temple' Pran Pratishtha' ceremony approaches on January 22 in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya. While the BJP is boasting the success of the event, the Opposition alleged that the ruling party is trying to capitalise on it, eyeing the Lok Sabha elections.

On Wednesday, the Congress party also declined an invitation to the ceremony, labelling it as a "RSS-BJP event."

(With inputs from ANI)