"Either he is mad or anti-national or...": Former Bihar's Minister on Chandrashekhar's Ramcharitmanas remark

Buxar (Bihar) [India], January 12 (ANI): Bihar's former agriculture minister and BJP leader Amrendra Pratap Singh on Thursday slammed state Education Minister Chandrashekhar for his remark over 'Ramcharitmanas' and said that action should be taken against such people under anti-national law.
"Either he is mad or anti-national or against the nation's thought process, his place is inside a jail," said the BJP leader.
He further said that they will raise the issue in the Assembly. "Action should be taken against such people under anti-national law," he added.
Earlier in the day, the Bihar Education Minister reiterated his statement, claiming that the Ramcharitmanas, a poem based on the epic 'Ramayana', "spreads hatred in the society".
He also said that certain parts of Ramcharitmanas propagate discrimination again certain castes.
On whether he would apologise for his statement as the Opposition BJP has demanded, he said it is the saffron which should apologise for not being aware of facts.
Addressing students at the 15th convocation ceremony of Nalanda Open University on Wednesday, he claimed that the 'Ramcharitmanas' and 'Manusmriti' divide the society.
"Why was there resistance to the Ramcharitmanas? It says people from lower castes could be as dangerous as snakes after receiving education," the minister said on Tuesday.
He has said revered Hindu texts like Manusmriti and Ramcharitmanas are against Dalits, other backward classes and women receiving education.
"Manusmriti, Ramcharitmanas, Bunch of Thoughts by saffron ideologue Guru Golwalkar spread hatred. Love, not hatred, makes the country great," added Chandrashekhar.
Meanwhile, amid the furore over Chandrashekar's remark, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar side-stepped the matter claiming he wasn't aware of what the minister said.
"I don't know what he said. I haven't heard his statement or seen anything about it in the news," the Bihar CM told reporters in Darbhanga on Thursday, on the sidelines of the inauguration of a newly constructed planetarium.
The BJP came down heavily on the minister, demanding that he tenders an apology at the earliest. (ANI)