Prior to the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22, the Opposition INDIA coalition seemed to be clueless about how to offset the enormous rise in popularity that the BJP is experiencing. While some leaders are keeping quiet about the incident, others are launching a counteroffensive.
The recent poster by RJD MLA Fateh Bahadur Singh, which called temples a “path to mental slavery,” has stirred up controversy in Bihar politics. The poster was supported by Bihar Education Minister Chandra Shekhar on Monday, who also issued a warning against pseudo-Hinduvaad and pseudo-nationalism.
What would you do if you were hurt? Hospital or temple? Will you attend a temple or a school if you want to further your education and want to become an officer, MLA, or MP? Savitribai Phule had expressed the same thing as RJD MLA Fateh Bahadur Singh. What goes wrong in this situation? He cited Phule, Savitribai. Isn’t education essential? Chandra Shekhar, the minister of education for Bihar, stated this to ANI on Monday.
Phony nationalism and pseudo-Hinduvaad should be avoided.Where will you go to find Lord Ram when he lives inside each and every one of us and everywhere?The minister said, “…the sites that have been allotted have been turned into places of exploitation, used to line the pockets of a few conspirators in society.”
The mental slavery poster by Fateh Bahadur Singh
This development coincides with a billboard by RJD MLA and another prominent figure in Bihar, Fateh Bahadur Singh, characterizing temples as a route to “mental slavery.” The opposing BJP took issue with the poster, saying it was “aimed at hurting Hindu sentiments with provocative remarks” ahead of the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony.
The poster read, “The path towards light is the meaning of school; the path to mental slavery is the meaning of temple.”
The message sent by the tolling of the temple bell is one of superstition, hypocrisy, stupidity, and ignorance; the message from the school bell is one of logical reasoning, scientific inquiry, and the march towards light. Which direction you choose to go in is up to you,” the advertisement continued.
