Jitendra Awhad, MLA from the Nationalist Congress Party–SP (NCP-SP), has courted controversy after making remarks criticising “so-called Sanatan Dharma”, arguing that Hinduism is different from it.
ANI reported that Awhad was talking to reporters when he said, “There was never any religion called Sanatan Dharma. We are followers of Hindu Dharma.”
He said the concept of Sanatan Dharma was behind the oppression of anti-caste activists, social reformers, and other leaders: “It did not even allow Dr BR Ambedkar to drink water or attend school.”
He also said, “It was this so-called Sanatan Dharma that denied our Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj his coronation. This Sanatan Dharma defamed our Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. The followers of this Sanatan Dharma tried to assassinate Jyotirao Phule.”
It was Ambedkar who "rose against Sanatan Dharma, burned the Manusmriti, and rejected its oppressive traditions”, he added.
Leaders of the ruling BJP reacted angrily
Party leader Ram Kadam said, “The statement by the leader of Sharad Pawar's faction is based on an incomplete study of the scriptures… Will they now do this for politics… defame Sanatan Dharma?”
{{/usCountry}}Party leader Ram Kadam said, “The statement by the leader of Sharad Pawar's faction is based on an incomplete study of the scriptures… Will they now do this for politics… defame Sanatan Dharma?”
{{/usCountry}}He accused Awhad of making the statements for "politics of appeasement”.
Another BJP leader and former minister Raj K Purohit was quoted as saying: “Jitendra Awhad gets elected from a region where the majority population is Muslim. To appease the community, he makes such statements.”
Awhad, a four-time MLA, has a doctorate in socio-religious movements. From a community listed among the Other Backwards Classes (OBC), Awhad is a former minister who has held portfolios including housing and minority development.