Ramcharitmanas row: Chhattisgarh CM slams Yogi, Maurya; asks all to heed Vinoba Bhave's advice on classics

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday said the row over some parts of Tulsidas' epic 'Ramcharitmanas' allegedly being against women and those from backward communities was being created by leaders in Uttar Pradesh as part of vote-bank politics.

The 'Ramcharitmanas' issue was set off in UP by Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya who claimed on January 22 that some portions insult a large section of society on the basis of caste and had sought that they be "banned".

"It (controversy) suited both (UP CM) Yogi Adityanath and Maurya to garner votes. However, people face the wrath (of such tussles), while essential issues are ignored," Baghel told reporters.

Asserting that "two or four couplets" do not make any difference to such a great epic, Baghel said one must adhere to social reformer Vinoba Bhave's advice that the merits of any religious book or philosophy must be discussed in the present context.

He said Bhave advised that the basic elements (of the book or philosophy) must be discussed and its subtle facts must be accepted after consideration.

"This controversy is wrong. Ramcharitmanas was written 650 years ago by Tulsidas while Valmiki had written it much earlier. There is no need to accept it as it is written in the current situation. You should accept good things from Ramayana and the things you don't like, leave it," the senior Congress leader said.

Tulsidas had faced opposition at the time for writing Ramcharitmanas in Hindi but he must be credited for taking the epic to every household, Baghel asserted.

"By creating controversies around such small issues, you are just doing politics of votes," Baghel said without naming anyone.