BJP split over Jethmalani's comments on Ram being a bad husband

New Delhi, Nov. 9 (ANI): The split within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came out in the open on Friday with some party leaders backing veteran lawyer Ram Jethmalani's controversial comment on Lord Ram, the protagonist in the epic 'Ramayana', while others lashed out at him.

BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Jethmalani should not have made such a comment.

"Even after being named Ram, Jethmalani is criticizing Lord Ram, I don't think this is right," he said.

BJP leader Vinay Katiyar, however, backed Jethmalani's controversial comments on Lord Ram, saying he agreed with the latter's opinion that Sita shouldn't have been banished on the basis of a fisherman's allegation.

"Ram Jethmalani's name should have been Sitaram, because it has the names of both husband and wife. Many do not find Ram's decision to be right, that too when Sita was pregnant. I too am of the opinion that a pregnant Sita shouldn't have been asked to leave," he said, while poking fun at Jethmalani.

Meanwhile, a furious Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Praveen Togadia hit out at Jethmalani over his remarks, and asked the veteran lawyer if he has the same courage to insult Prophet Mohammad.

"He has courage to insult Lord Ram because of the tolerant nature of Hindu society. Does Ram Jethmalani have guts to utter similar thing about Prophet Mohammad?" he asked.

Acharya Pramod Krishnam, a Hindu saint, also took potshots at Jethmalani, and said that the latter has lost his mind due to his advancing age.

" His name also begins with Ram. Instead of talking nonsense, it would be better for him to change his name from Ram Jethmalani to Ravana (demon king) Jethmalani," he added.

Jethmalani had earlier on Thursday referred to Lord Ram as a bad husband for sending his wife Sita to exile for no specific reason.

"Ram was a bad husband. I don't like him at all. Just because some fisherman said something, he sent that poor woman (Sita) to vanvaas (exile). Lakshman was even worse. When Sita was abducted, Ram asked him to go find her as she was abducted under his watch. Lakshman simply excused himself saying she was his sister-in-law and he never looked at her face, so he wouldn't be able to identify her," he said at a book release function here. (ANI)

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

However, anybody calling Ram Jethmalani a fool would be a fool himself.

Jethmalani has got the knack of getting into controversies.

He relishes controversies and fortunately for him he is a lawyer, and a good one at that, otherwise he would have been slapped with many legal cases.

First of all Jethmalani's knowledge of the Ramayana is very poor. It was not a fisherman's but a washerman's comment which Lord Rama took to heart and banished Sita maa.

The point he has raised has been a topic of discussion and argument throughout the ages, i.e whether Lord Rama did the correct thing in banishing Sita Mata and subjecting her to a purity test twice. On the second occasion she decided to leave her mortal body.

It is to the credit of our religion that we are able to discuss this topic quietly and people like Togadia and Acharya Pramod Krishnam are doing an injustice to our religion when they are getting angry on Jethmalani.

This argument can go on ad infinitium with no result.

There will always be two groups having two opposing views who will not be convinced of the others views.

The action of Lord Rama should be taken in the context that he even listened to the smallest voice, that of a lowly washer man to punish even his own wife.

Compare that with our modern rulers where protests by the poor are just crushed with an iron hand resulting in the formation of Maoists and complaints against son-in-laws and nephews are just brazenly carpeted over as if nothing has happened.

We should not compare our selves with the Muslim reaction on anything pertaining to Prophet Mohammed for it is just this mentality which results in the creation of terrorists. Theirs is a medieval religion controlled by the Maulvis and Mullahs where even the educated do not care to use their brains to think logically. If they were logical then they would not be unwelcome in most countries on the Earth. In India too they constituted 10% of the population during Independence but now constitute 20% of the population by over breeding, polygamy and cross border infiltration. They are pampered by the politicians for their vote banks but are otherwise treated as dirt, which they do not understand.

We see some of this mentality in Maharashtra in the form of Raj Thackeray.

The BJP and other Hindu religious leaders should not get into this controversy.