Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, speaking on communal clashes during Ram Navami processions in various states, said today that "every community" must avoid confrontation and that prayers have nothing to do with violence.
Nitish Kumar has made the comments at a time his ally BJP is facing criticism over the hugely controversial move by its government in Madhya Pradesh to target the homes of people accused of throwing stones at a Ram Navami procession.
"We should have peace and harmony between communities. Each person has their own way of worshipping but we should not fight amongst ourselves - that is very important. If you believe in puja (worship), then do puja properly. Is clashing with each other related to prayers," Nitish Kumar said in his comments to reporters.
एक दूसरे से झग़ड़ा का पूजा से कोई सम्बंध हैं ??आपको पूजा करना हैं तो पूजा कीजिएगा ना कि झगड़ा ये कहना हैं @NitishKumar का @ndtvindia @Anurag_Dwary pic.twitter.com/LA4xWtMKG0
— manish (@manishndtv) April 18, 2022He also said his government was on guard against any such clashes in Bihar.
Nitish Kumar is the second BJP ally in Bihar to weigh in on the Ram Navami violence.
Former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, the chief of the Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM) that is a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, said last week that he did not believe in Lord Ram.
"I don't believe in Ram. Ram was not God. Ram was a character created by Tulsidas and Valmiki to spread their message," Mr Manjhi has said.
"They wrote the Ramayan and there are many good lessons in their writings. We believe that. We believe in Tulsidas and Valmiki, not Ram," said Mr Manjhi, whose son Santosh Manjhi is in the Nitish Kumar-BJP cabinet in Bihar.
