Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], November 12 (ANI): After facing outrage over his remarks on Lord Shiva, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya on Sunday said that his statement was not against any religion and those creating controversy over it are “fundamentalists”.
“What I’ve stated is a fact of life I have seen and these stories have been told too many and many times and this is nothing against any religion. If somebody feels that this is against a religion, I must say with an apology that he doesn’t know what religion is and they are fundamentalists. I am sorry to say that somebody has taken it as a point of controversy without going deep into the matter and without realising what religion is,” the MP told ANI.
He further said that the people who are against his statement and outraged over it, have no confidence in his/her own religion.
“Who is doing controversy… they are the ones who have no confidence in his/her own religion. What do they think about their religion, I do not think that way. There is nothing against religion. These controversies are being created by fundamentalists,” he added.
This came after the Bharatiya Janata Party hit out at Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya and termed his remarks “unfortunate and insensitive”.
Notably, Bhattacharyya has stoked a political row with his remarks on Lord Shiva.
Bhattacharyya in a Facebook post on Saturday recounted an incident from his childhood and asked, “Who is keeping an account of the number of families which have been destroyed due to the belief that Mahadev (Lord Shiva) is the ‘God of Bhang (cannabis) and will take care of the families of drunkards.”
The CPI(M) MP wrote in a Facebook post in Bengali that in his childhood he had seen a drunk postman staggering to a Shiva temple and beseeching Mahadev to take care of his family.
“Nakuleshwar Lane in Kalighat is a narrow lane near Mahakali Pathshala. If you enter Nakuleshwar Lane from Mahim Halder Street, after four or five houses, you can find a small Shiva temple. Some of us sometimes used to hang out on a cement bench of the house near the school on that street corner. One day, in the evening, I saw that the postman of the area who was in an inebriated state staggered to the temple and sat in front of it. I ran to look and saw that he was praying…’Baba, since you are the Lord of liquor and ganja, you should take care of families of those who drink’,” Bhattacharyya posted.
“I enjoyed listening to his prayer. The poor postman believes that the guru (God) of cannabis consumption is Mahadev himself and therefore, Mahadev should take the responsibility of taking care of the family of the drunks,” the CPI(M) Bhattacharyya said.
Bhattacharyya’s remarks have spurred a heated debate, highlighting a broader clash of views on religious interpretations.
Criticizing Bhattacharyya’s remarks, the All India Hindu Mahasabha President Swami Chakrapani Maharaj said that the Communist party is ‘anti-Hindu’ and is always against ‘Hindu Sanatana.’
“Lord Shiva is the one who prayed for the protection of the entire world and drank poison to save the world. He doesn’t consume alcohol. Bhattacharyya should come and learn about Sanatana and Lord Shiva. Little knowledge is very dangerous. The Communist Party and Congress party have only one job: to insult Sanatana Dharma,” he said. (ANI)
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