Hyderabad, Nov 4 (PTI) Criticising preacher Dhirendra Shastri over his alleged controversial remarks related to Lord Krishna, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday said that the preacher was acting at the "behest" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The RJD leader spoke at Sri Krishna Sadar Sammelanam, an annual buffalo carnival celebrated during Deepavali by the Yadav community here.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was also present on the occasion.
Yadav, without mentioning Shastri's name, said the comments made by the preacher on Lord Krishna are indecent.
"One Shastri ji has come. UP polls have come. There is a 'Thageshwar Shastri'. RSS and BJP people are dividing people. Today, at Modi ji's beck and call, Thageshwar Shastri is dividing Gods. He said such things about Lord Krishna which are indecent. If such people come to Hyderabad, Telangana, Yadav community people should give a good welcome. We will give a good welcome in Bihar," he said.
He further alleged that PM Modi and the BJP troubled RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav a lot by using CBI, Income Tax and other agencies.
Asserting that Prasad is still fighting, he said the former chief minister, however, never bent.
"Modi ji may want to scare us with jail, but we are not the ones to be scared. Lord Sri Krishna was born in a jail. Jail is like a temple, a gurdwara for us," he said.
Claiming that Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are timid, Yadav said he is a fighter.
He further alleged that the BJP wants to finish the Constitution and crush democracy.
Thanking Telangana CM Reddy for giving state festival status to the Sri Krishna Sadar festival, he wished that the former should take all sections along.
Lauding CM Reddy for the caste survey conducted by his government, Yadav said the Bihar government, when he was Deputy Chief Minister, had carried out a caste census in 17 months and increased reservations.
If Reddy can ensure a share of communities as per their population, "nobody on earth will be able to remove him," he said.
Praising the Sadar festival, he said such a tradition is not seen even in North India.
Yadav also conveyed greetings from his father to the gathering.
The RJD working president's remarks came after Shastri, during a Ram Katha held recently in Karera in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district, had compared the forms of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna, saying Ram stands straight while Krishna stands bent in three places.
Referring to Lord Krishna’s 'tribhanga' posture, his flute and Vrindavan, he had also compared Ayodhya and Vrindavan.
After his remarks triggered a controversy, the Bageshwar Dham head priest apologised, saying he did not intend to insult any deity.
In a video message posted on social media from Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday, Shastri said he did not intend to draw any distinction between Lord Ram and Lord Krishna and apologised if his remarks hurt anyone's religious sentiments.
After a video of his comments circulated on social media, seers and devotees of Lord Krishna from Mathura and Vrindavan objected, saying Lord Ram and Lord Krishna are equally revered and that such a comparison is inappropriate.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)