Bihar education minister Chandra Shekhar triggered yet another controversy on Wednesday after he compared Ramcharitmanas, a Hindu religious book which is based on the Ramayana, to potassium cyanide.

While speaking at an event organised on Hindi Diwas, Chandra Shekhar said, “If you serve 55 kinds of dishes and mix potassium cyanide into it, would you eat it? The same is the case with scriptures of Hinduism.”

He added that many authors, including Baba Nagarjun and Lohia, have also criticized it.

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“My objection to Ramcharitmanas is firm, and it will persist throughout my life. Even RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat has commented on it,” the Bihar minister said, India Today reported.

He further added, “Unless the castes of those stepping in the gutter are changed, there will be a need for a reservation and caste census in this country.”

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reacted to the statement and cornered Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, India Today reported.

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BJP spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said, “Minister Chandra Shekhar is continuously giving controversial statements on Ramcharitmanas. Is Nitish Kumar not hearing this? Nitish Kumar is continuously insulting Sanatana.”

He also suggested Chandra Shekhar should convert his religion if he has any problem with it.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Sambit Patra said, “All the people of INDI Alliance are full of venom for Hinduism and it is reflected in all of their statements…He says that Ramcharitmanas is Potassium Cyanide. Crores of people have their devotion placed in it…Those who have the audacity to call ‘Ram’ a venom are questioning the basic belief of this country and hurting it. Public will boycott them.”

‘Ramcharitmanas spreads hatred’

This is not the first time Chandra Shekhar has stirred a row with his comments on Ramcharitmanas. In January, the RJD minister had said that Ramcharitmanas “spreads hatred in society”.

“A nation becomes great with love and affection. Books like Ramcharitmanas, Manusmriti and Bunch of Thoughts sowed the seeds of hatred and social divide. This is the reason why people burnt Manusmriti and took exception to a portion of Ramcharitmanas, which talks against education for Dalits, backwards and women,” the minister had said.