Nagpur: NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Jitendra Awhad on Wednesday stoked controversy yet again. After calling Lord Ram a meat eater at an earlier occasion, Awhad has now said that the invitations being sent out for the forthcoming Lord Ram temple consecration ceremony should be "socially inclusive".

Speaking to reporters, the former Maharashtra minister alleged the day (January 22) chosen for the consecration of the idol has no connection with Lord Ram's life.

"Is January 22 a Ramnavmi? No. The temple in Ayodhya is incomplete, but still ‘pran pratishtha’ of the idol is being done. Real issues like inflation, unemployment etc are not talked about ahead of elections. The invitations sent out (for the consecration ceremony) smacks of caste bias," he alleged.

He said BR Ambedkar had challenged the discriminatory "caste system" by visiting the famous Kalaram temple in Nashik.

Awhad asked why President Droupadi Murmu was not invited to the temple event.

'Lord Ram A Meat Eater'

The NCP leader had recently stoked a controversy by saying that Lord Ram was a "non-vegetarian who hunted animals".

“The man lived in a forest for 14 years, where he would have got vegetarian food in jungles,” Awhad said while addressing a rally in Nashik's Shirdi. Jitendra Awhad made this remark in the presence of NCP Chief Sharad Pawar.

He later expressed regret over his remarks.

However, Mumbai Police had registered two cases, another case was registered at Navghar police station in Thane district. Before that, Pune city police had registered an FIR against Awhad, who belongs to the Sharad Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party faction. Three First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA from Sharad Pawar faction Jitendra Awhad for allegedly hurting religious sentiments with his "Lord Ram was a non-vegetarian" remark. The former Maharashtra minister has, however, not been arrested. 

What did Jitendra Awhad say?

The Sharad Pawar Camp MLA Jitendra Awhad on the first day of NCP party meeting in Shirdi said, "Lord Ram belongs to the minorities. Lord Ram who used to got for hunting, belongs to us. People want us to turn us vegan but Lord Ram was a nonvegetarian. We follow the ideals of Ram. He lived in the forest for 14 years, where he would have got vegetarian food in jungles. Isn't it true? Whatever I said is the truth."