'Lord Ram was a Kshatriya, non-vegetarian': Sharad Pawar-led NCP leader Jitendra Awhad sparks row

Dr Jitendra Awhad, a leader from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, made these controversial remarks during an event in Shirdi, Maharashtra.

Dr Jitendra Awhad, a leader from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, has stirred controversy by asserting that Lord Ram consumed meat. In a video shared by Arun Yadav, BJP Haryana's social media head, Awhad can be heard stating that, as a Kshatriya, Lord Ram would have eaten meat due to the lack of vegetarian food in the forest during his exile.

He made these controversial remarks during an event in Shirdi, Maharashtra, asserting, “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?”

मैं अरुण यादव महाराष्ट्र सरकार से इस रामद्रोही JITENDRA AWHAD को तुरंत गिरफ्तार करने की मांग कर रहा हूं।

मेरे साथ सभी राम भक्त इस ट्रेंड का समर्थन करे। #ArrestJitendraAwhadhttps://t.co/Tr4wwg2isQpic.twitter.com/N8RI3BFNLZ

— Arun Yadav

Following Awhad's statement, BJP leaders reacted and called for action against him. Yadav posted the video of Awhad and demanded the immediate arrest of the NCP leader by the Maharashtra government.

Another BJP leader, Ram Kadam, expressed his criticism on X, and slammed the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction, saying that if Balasaheb Thackeray were alive today, he would have strongly criticised the editorial in Saamna, the mouthpiece of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, regarding Awhad's remarks.

"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' (arrogant) alliance," he wrote on the micro-blogging site.

Additionally, Kadam is also planning to file a police complaint against Awhad for his statement about Lord Ram being a "non-vegetarian."

The controversy surrounding the NCP leader's comments has emerged just before the scheduled consecration ceremony of the Ayodhya Ram Temple on January 22. This development has triggered a political confrontation between the Narendra Modi-led NDA government and the opposition bloc INDIA, particularly regarding the distribution of invitations for the inauguration.