Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Ram Jethmalani on Friday refused to apologise for his ‘Lord Ram was a bad husband’ remark, which has come as a major embarrassment for the saffron brigade that spearheaded the Ram Temple movement in the 1990s.
Speaking to a leading TV news channel, the noted lawyer said, “Not at all. My intention was not to embarrass my party and I stand by what I said.”
“I was just insisting BJP to do what is right and If I don’t express my feelings publicly, I fear that my voice will not be heard,” he said.
When asked to admit whether it was his mistake to make such remarks on Lord Ram, Jethmalani said, “Sorry, it was not my mistake. If the people of this country have lost their sense of humour, I can't help it.”
When further prodded by the interviewer, he went on to say, “I have serious doubts whether Lord Ram was a historical figure at all.”
The noted lawyer also cautioned the media not to scrutinise his religious beliefs and trigger unnecessary controversy.
When asked to react whether his adverse remarks have embarrassed BJP, he stated, “BJP is not a religious party and it has no control over the religious affairs of the Hindus.”
He categorically ruled out any attempt to malign his party or put it in bad light. “My relationship with the party is extremely normal even after I expressed my displeasure over certain things openly,” he remarked.
When questioned about his public criticism of BJP’s embattled chief Nitin Gadkari, Jethmalani concluded by saying, ”I have made the whole world know my feelings about Gadkari, given my advice to the party and I have no role to play now.”
Jethmalani’s clarification came a day after he said, "Ram was a bad husband. I don't like him at all. Just because some fisherman said something, he sent that poor woman (Sita) to exile."
He made these remarks while speaking at a function to launch a book on a man-woman relationship.
First Published: Friday, November 09, 2012, 13:36