In yet another fiery outburst that’s bound to deepen political and religious fault lines, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader and four-time MLA Jitendra Awhad stirred controversy on Saturday, August 2, by launching a scathing attack on Sanatan Dharma. During a public interaction with the media, Awhad didn’t mince words in branding the Sanatan tradition as an outdated and harmful ideology that, according to him, has been detrimental to the very soul of the country.

“Sanatan Dharma has ruined India. There never was a religion called Sanatan Dharma. We are followers of Hindu Dharma,” he said, asserting a sharp distinction between what he sees as regressive traditions and the broader umbrella of Hinduism. His remarks were not just confined to philosophical debates — he tied Sanatan Dharma directly to historical injustices and social exclusion.

Referring to revered Indian figures and reformers, Awhad alleged that the Sanatan system systematically denied them dignity and space in history. He mentioned legendary Maratha rulers, social reformers, and Dalit leaders to make his case. “They threw filth and cow dung at Savitribai Phule. They even tried to kill Jyotirao Phule. This very Sanatan Dharma also tried to kill Shahu Maharaj,” he alleged, citing examples of how reformist figures were met with hostility.

He also invoked one of the most venerated icons of social justice in India, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, stating that the Sanatan tradition denied him basic human rights. “Sanatan Dharma didn’t even let Babasaheb Ambedkar drink water or study. It was Babasaheb who finally stood up against it, burned the Manusmriti, and rejected these oppressive traditions. The person who created Manusmriti came from this same Sanatan tradition. We shouldn’t be afraid to say it openly, Sanatan Dharma and its Sanatani ideology are perverted,” Awhad added, escalating his rhetoric.

Such statements have reignited debates around the definition, history, and interpretation of Sanatan Dharma. While critics of Sanatan traditions argue that such views highlight long-standing injustices embedded in caste hierarchies, supporters argue these interpretations are politically motivated and distort the spiritual and cultural richness of Hindu philosophy.

No immediate response was issued from the ruling parties or key Hindu religious bodies, but the statement has already triggered reactions across social media and among political commentators.

BJP Slams Awhad for Insulting Hindu Faith for Vote Bank Politics

Pune, Maharashtra: As outrage mounted across the nation over Jitendra Awhad’s derogatory statements about Lord Ram and Sanatan Dharma, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back strongly, accusing the NCP-SCP leader of deliberately targeting Hindu beliefs to appease a specific section of voters.

BJP’s senior leader from Maharashtra, Kirit Somaiya, issued a direct and scathing rebuke. “For Muslim votes, they have stooped so low that they are insulting the country, Hindu religion, and Hindu culture... The people of Maharashtra will teach them a lesson,” he said, addressing reporters in Pune.

Somaiya’s remarks reflect the deep frustration within the BJP over what they view as Awhad’s recurring attempts to provoke Hindu sentiments in the name of caste and communal politics. The party accused Awhad and his political allies of resorting to divisive rhetoric at the cost of insulting the cultural identity of millions of Hindus.

According to BJP spokespersons, this isn’t an isolated incident, but part of a pattern of calculated attacks on Sanatan symbols and leaders, designed to polarize the electorate along religious lines.

Political analysts suggest that with elections on the horizon, such statements are being strategically deployed by some parties to consolidate minority vote banks while vilifying the country’s majority culture. But the backlash Awhad is facing may suggest the opposite effect — with growing unity among Hindus against what they see as repeated mockery of their faith.

Shiv Sena Hits Back: “Shows His Lack of Education,” Says Shaina NC

As the political uproar continued over NCP-SCP MLA Jitendra Awhad’s attack on Sanatan Dharma, criticism poured in from multiple quarters. Joining the chorus was Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC, who delivered a sharp and unflinching condemnation of Awhad’s remarks.

“It has become a trend for the Opposition to criticise Sanatan Dharma... His saying that Sanatan Dharma is a perverted ideology distinct from Hindu Dharma shows you his lack of education, and he is responsible for caste oppression and social exclusion by making such preposterous comments,” she said.

Her statement directly called out what many in the Hindu community perceive as a growing pattern among opposition parties — using inflammatory rhetoric against age-old spiritual traditions in the name of social justice or caste politics. Shaina NC made it clear that equating Sanatan Dharma with caste oppression and labeling it as "perverted" was not just factually incorrect but deeply irresponsible.

By accusing Awhad of lacking even basic understanding of religious history and philosophical nuance, Shaina NC pointed to a broader concern — that leaders like him are deliberately spreading misinformation to stir unrest and sow division among communities.

Political observers noted that such blanket vilification of Sanatan Dharma — which many view as the foundation of India’s civilizational ethos — is not only offensive to crores of Hindus, but also dangerous in a country already grappling with social tensions.

Awhad’s Past Remarks on Sanatan Dharma and Caste Politics

This isn’t the first time Jitendra Awhad has sparked a storm over his comments on religion and caste. In January 2024, he reignited debate by putting forward the controversial claim that Lord Ram was a meat-eating, Bahujan identity figure — a statement that didn’t sit well with many who hold the deity as an embodiment of dharma and restraint.

While speaking at an event in Shirdi, he said: “Ram belongs to us Bahujans. He used to hunt and eat. When you attempt to convert all to vegetarian, recall we are Ram’s followers and we eat mutton. That is Ram’s ideal. He was not a vegetarian.”

Taking a rhetorical angle, Awhad questioned the plausibility of Ram being a vegetarian during his 14-year exile in the forests. “Where would a person in the forest eat vegetarian food?” he asked the crowd before challenging their opinion with: “Tell me if I’m wrong.”

In yet another attempt to provoke and polarize, Jitendra Awhad once again targeted Hindu beliefs in January 2024 with a deeply controversial remark that has angered both religious leaders and ordinary devotees across India. Speaking during a party event in Maharashtra, Awhad claimed that Lord Ram — one of the most revered figures in Hinduism — was a non-vegetarian and that he belonged to the Bahujan community, a term commonly used to refer to non-Brahmin groups.

According to Awhad, it was illogical to believe that someone living in a forest for 14 years — as Lord Ram did during his exile — could survive only on vegetarian food. He boldly declared that since a large part of India’s population consumes meat and still worships Lord Ram, it aligned with his view that Ram must have eaten meat too.

His remarks, unsurprisingly, didn’t go unchallenged. “If anyone was hurt, I regret that,” Awhad said later, attempting a shallow apology. However, he immediately doubled down on his claim, citing shlok 102 of the Ayodhya Kand in Valmiki Ramayana as the basis for his argument.

But this so-called "research" was strongly rejected by religious scholars and temple authorities. Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra’s chief priest, Acharya Satyendra Das, dismissed Awhad’s interpretation outright. He clarified that scriptures describe Lord Ram as surviving on forest fruits and roots, not meat, during his exile. “It is wrong to depict Ram as a non-vegetarian. This is distortion, not devotion,” he emphasized.

The backlash against Awhad was swift and widespread. Political leaders, saints, and Hindu groups accused him of deliberately hurting religious sentiments for electoral gain. According to a report by The New Indian Express, the BJP condemned his comments, with MLA Ram Kadam bluntly stating that Awhad had "insulted Hindu beliefs to gain cheap political mileage."

In the same speech, Awhad waded into historical territory, discussing the freedom movement and Mahatma Gandhi’s caste identity. According to him, caste bias played a pivotal role in the repeated attacks on Gandhi. “Gandhiji was a tradesman and an OBC. They could not digest the fact that the head of such a huge movement was an OBC. That is why he was targeted so many times,” he declared, implying that upper-caste resentment towards Gandhi’s social background was a contributing factor to the hostility he faced.

He went as far as to suggest that the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) could never accept Gandhi’s leadership due to his caste, subtly pointing fingers at ideological rigidity over inclusive nationalism.

Multiple FIRs were registered across the country, underscoring the deep offense caused by his remarks. Far from scholarly, Awhad’s statement was seen by many as a calculated attempt to sow division under the guise of social justice — an act that has now earned him widespread disapproval even beyond party lines.

Awhad’s 2023 Attack on Hindu Festivals

Jitendra Awhad’s strong opinions aren’t just confined to religious texts or leaders. In April 2023, he raised eyebrows once again at an NCP rally by questioning the very intent behind popular Hindu festivals like Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti.

“A riot happened in Aurangabad. I mean Ram Navami. and what is that other festival? Hanuman Jayanti. Are these festivals made just for riots?” he asked sarcastically, drawing a direct connection between religious processions and violence.

He painted a grim picture of communal tension allegedly orchestrated around these festivals. Reflecting concern over rising hostilities, he said: “I don’t normally talk like this in the presence of Saheb (Sharad Pawar), but I strongly feel that the next year is going to be a year of communal riots.”

Unfortunately, this prediction wasn’t unfounded. According to multiple media outlets, including NDTV and The Times of India, March 2023 witnessed violent outbreaks during Ram Navami processions in several states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. These included incidents of stone pelting and arson, further intensifying the communal divide.

Echoes of Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Sanatan Critique

Awhad’s repeated condemnations of Sanatan Dharma bring to mind the similar sentiments voiced by Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin in September 2023, when he equated Sanatan Dharma with diseases like malaria and dengue.

At the “Eradicate Sanatan Conference” held in Chennai, Udhayanidhi had declared: “Mosquitoes, dengue, flu, malaria, corona those have to be eradicated and not opposed. Same for Sanatan Dharma.”

His controversial comments drew wide support from Left-leaning groups and DMK party cadres but were harshly criticized by right-wing organizations and Hindu religious leaders.

The event, which saw attendance from several DMK leaders and ideologically aligned activists, including PK Sekarbabu, Tamil Nadu’s Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister, became a flashpoint for national debate on the role of Sanatan Dharma in India’s public and political life.