Bhupesh Baghel Targets BJP: "Nobody Can Claim Copyright On Lord Ram"

Hitting out at the BJP, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel today said nobody can claim copyright on Lord Ram as he belongs to everyone.

"BJP raised the Ram Janambhoomi issue in the 80s and they did not know Shri Ram before. Our leader Mahatma Gandhi used to sing the hymn ''Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram'' before Independence... Ram hamare hai aur rahenge (Ram is ours and will remain ours forever)... BJP uses this according to their political calculations. Ramayana has been recited in villages for hundreds of years," he told reporters here while responding to a question about the Chhattisgarh government organising a competition among Ramayana singing troupes.

"This is in our culture. Why is BJP having a problem if we are doing something for our culture? They never did anything for our culture. Now if something is being done they think Ram is being taken away from them. Do they have any copyright on Ram? Ram belongs to everyone," he said.

Commenting on the central government's decision to allow Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) to use Rs 1 lakh crore agriculture infrastructure fund, the Chief Minister said, "Earlier, they announced Rs 20 lakh crores, we don't know where it was used. It will happen again. If this is in farmers' interest, then why are they not talking to farmers who are protesting for 7 months? There were discussions on repealing farm laws earlier. Two laws are related to farmers and one is directly linked with consumers. I had earlier said that they removed the essential commodities Act and it will affect consumers. Now you see the prices of all edible products are skyrocketing."

Slamming the central government over skyrocketing prices of petrol and diesel, he said, "What can we say about petrol? The petrol price is increasing just like Tendulkar's centuries. It was said that the price would be equal to the PM's age but fuel prices have crossed his age."