The slogan "Jai Shri Ram" is like a greeting and no one is being forced to raise it, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Monday after Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed it as "insult" and refused to speak at an event when the slogans were raised.
On Saturday at Subhas Chandra Bose's birth anniversary celebrations in Kolkata, Banerjee refused to speak at the official event when slogans of "Jai Shri Ram" were raised just before she was about to start her address. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also in attendance.
"If someone says Jai Shri Ram there is nothing to feel bad about it as it is a greeting'', Adityanath said while speaking to a select group of journalists.
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"If someone says 'namaskar' or 'Jai Shri Ram' it shows his etiquette," he said.
Responding to questions on Banerjee refusing to speak after such chants, Adityanath said, "We are not forcing anyone to speak it. But if someone says Jai Shri Ram there is nothing to feel bad about it."
The West Bengal chief minister had expressed displeasure at BJP supporters at the event shouting slogans. She said such an "insult" was unacceptable.
With elections due in the state in March-April, the tussle between the BJP and Banerjee's TMC has intensified.
Talking about law and order in the state, Adityanath, said the state witnessed several riots during earlier regimes while under this government the state has not witnessed any such incident.
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He claimed the law and order situation in the state is one of the best in the country.
With PTI inputs
