NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad expresses regret but sticks to ‘Lord Ram was non-vegetarian’ remark

While workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena hit the streets demanding police case against Awhad, he maintained that it was his personal opinion and not of his party. Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat said that Awhad is purposely trying to vitiate country’s atmosphere by making such statements.

“These remarks must be condemned. It is not his personal statement alone, but it is endorsed by his party president Sharad Pawar,” said Shirsat.

Awhad’s own party MLA Rohit Pawar, too, targeted him without naming anyone by posting a message on social media website X. Pawar said that religion is a personal matter and everyone should be aware to not fall into the trap of Opposition’s politics of religion by making unwarranted statements.

“It is important to make statements on growing unemployment, collapsing law and order, insecurity of women, lack of price to farm produce, Maharashtra losing businesses to Gujarat and creating animosity within communities instead of creating controversy by speaking on unnecessary statements,” Pawar wrote without naming anyone.

He further said that nobody should play politics using personal faith and religion. “The people will give a fitting reply to those who play politics of religion and faith. Therefore everyone should be aware to not fall into the trap of opposition by making unnecessary statements on this,” he added.

When asked about Rohit Pawar’s statement, Awhad said that he doesn’t give much importance to this. “He is a first-time MLA and needs to learn a lot. It is easy to make comments sitting Abu Dhabi instead of being in the ground,” he said.

“We don’t read history and forget everything in politics. Ram is ours. Of us Bahujans who used to hunt to eat… Ram was never a vegetarian. He was a non-vegetarian. How can a man who lived in jungle for 14 years remain a vegetarian,” Awhad said on Wednesday.