Ramcharitmanas Written In Mosque: RJD MLA's Remark on Hindu Scripture Sparks Fresh Row In Bihar

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Ritlal Yadav courted controversy after he claimed that the Hindu scripture Ramcharitmanas was “written in a mosque”. Yadav, an MLA from Bihar’s Danapur, went a step further and advised everyone to “pick up the history books and check” that his point is correct.

Yadav was addressing the media in Patna on Thursday when he was asked a question about BJP. However, the RJD leader started speaking on ‘Hindutva’, and said, “Attempts were made to make people fight amongst each other in the name of Hindutva.”

A video of Yadav’s statement is going viral on social media.

“Ramcharitmanas was written sitting in the mosque, then Hindutva was not in danger?” he said further adding that “one can check history books” to find out more about his claims.

“Wasn’t Hindutva in danger when Mughals were ruling?” he asked.

Further attacking the saffron party for pushing the Hindutva agenda as Yadav said, “Where were the people when the 11-year-old daughter of a Muslim in India recites Bhagwat Katha and wins a medal? Why didn’t people (BJP) say at that time that a Muslim girl propagated Bhagwat Katha.”

BJP was quick to condemn the RJD leader’s statement and took a swipe at JD(U) alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s party.

“Everybody knows where Ramcharitmans was written by Tulsidas,” said BJP spokesperson Arvind Kumar Singh, adding that “maybe after Nitish Kumar had taken admission to Lalu Prasad’s herdsman school, then Ramayana must have been written in the mosque.”

Yadav’s comment came months after RJD minister Chandrashekhar ignited a political row by saying that the “Ramcharitmanas should be burnt down” as the scripture spreads “hatred against lower castes.”