Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh's toilet, temple remarks draw BJP flak

NEW DELHI: Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh's comment that "toilets were more important than temples" has triggered a row, with the BJP slamming it as offending the religious sentiments and Congress clarifying it had respect for all religions.

The unlikely row erupted in the backdrop of Ramesh's comment that the country had more temples than toilets, stressing that open defecation was the main reason for hygiene-related problems.

While the comment appeared to stress the criticality of toilets for poor, the minister's formulation by contrasting it with the abundance of temples sparked off a controversy. BJP accused him of offending the religious sentiments. "Making of toilets and having faith in a religious place of worship are two different things. India is a multi-cultural country where we should have unblemished faith in a temple, a mosque, a gurdwara or a church. You cannot juxtapose the two," said BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

In a caustic advice, Rudy said that Ramesh should desist from political statement and instead concentrate on "salvaging the battered image of the UPA government".

The main opposition said it was foolhardy to get into a debate about what was more important between toilet and temple. "It would be good for Ramesh that he stops making such comments which will destroy the fine fabric of religion and faith," Rudy said.

Congress quickly sought to bury the row by affirming its faith in all religions even as it claimed ignorance about Ramesh's statement. AICC spokesman Manish Tewari said, "We respect the sanctity of every religious place irrespective of the community it belongs to. I do not know the statement attributed to Ramesh. Perhaps, it could have been distorted and he is in the best position to explain."