“I Express Regret, I Did Not Want To Hurt Anyone’s Sentiments”: Jitendra Awhad on His Lord Ram Remark

NCP-Sharad Pawar faction leader Jitendra Awhad has expressed regret for his "non-vegetarian" remark about Lord Ram. In a media press conference on Thursday, he said, "I express regret. I did not want to hurt anyone's sentiments." Awhad sparked controversy with his recent comment, suggesting that Lord Ram was a non-vegetarian due to the lack of vegetarian food in the forest during his exile.

#WATCH | On his "non-vegetarian" comment on Lord Ram, NCP-Sharad Pawar faction leader Jitendra Awhad says, "I express regret. I did not want to hurt anyone's sentiments." pic.twitter.com/wFIAXQXAKb

— ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2024

Speaking at an event in Maharashtra's Shirdi yesterday, the NCP leader said, "Lord Ram was not a vegetarian; he was a non-vegetarian. Where would a person living in the forest for 14 years go to find vegetarian food? Is it correct or not?." He also added, "We do not read history and forget everything in politics. Ram is ours. Of us Bahujans. Who used to hunt to eat...Ram was never a vegetarian. How can a man who lived in the jungle for 14 years remain a vegetarian."

BJP leader Ram Kadam criticised the Uddhav Thackeray faction on X (formerly known as Twitter), stating that if Balasaheb Thackeray were alive today, he would have spoken harshly on the Saamna editorial (Marathi-language newspaper published in Maharashtra). Kadam also filed a police complaint against NCP-Sharad Pawar faction leader Jitendra Awhad for his statement about Lord Ram being a "non-vegetarian." He expressed that such remarks aimed to hurt the sentiments of Ram devotees and criticised the alliance for attempting to use the Hindu religion for political gains. In an interview with news agency ANI, he said, "Their mindset is to hurt the sentiments of the Ram bhakts. They can't make fun of the Hindu religion to gather votes. The fact that the Ram mandir has been built has not gone down well with the 'ghamandi' alliance."