Bihar Education Minister Chandra Shekhar is under fire following his controversial remarks about 'Ramcharitmanas', a version of the Hindu epic Ramayana.
"Manusmriti, Ramcharitmanas, Bunch of Thoughts by saffron ideologue Guru Golwalkar spread hatred. Love, not hatred, makes the country great," Chandra Shekhar stated at an event organized by the Nalanda Open University in the state on Wednesday.
His comments have drawn sharp reactions from the federally-ruling BJP.
Subramanian Swamy, a senior BJP politician and former federal minister known for his hard-hitting Hindu nationalist views, has sought to know from the Bihar minister if he is a relative of demon king Ravana - who was killed by Lord Rama in a battle.
"Ask the Bihar education minister if he's a relative of Ravan. Only they can say such things," Swamy said while speaking to reporters.
Despite BJP's criticism, the Bihar minister remained defiant, not willing to apologize for what he said.
This isn't the first time a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) politician has used contentious words for Hindu symbols.
Earlier this month, RJD's Bihar chief Jagada Nand Singh put himself in a soup after claiming that the under-construction Lord Rama Temple in Ayodhya was being built on the "land of hatred".
"The Ram temple is being built on the land of hatred. Ram cannot be imprisoned in a magnificent palace...We are the people who believe in 'Hey Ram' (Dear Ram) and not 'Jai Shri Ram’ (Victory to Ram)," Nand Singh said in the state capital Patna.
Strongly objecting to his comments at the time, BJP's national spokesman Shehzad Poonawalla argued that Singh was "abusing the Hindu faith".