AMN / Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma has created another religious controversy by saying Sita, the wife of Lord Rama, was in fact the ‘first test tube baby of India’.
Sharma had earlier said jets and airplanes were nothing new as there was ‘Pushpak Viman’ during Vedic times.
According to a video grab during rounds of social media, Sharma, at the inauguration of a skill development event here, said that this was proved beyond doubt as Sita was found in an earthen pot when King Janaka was ploughing a field.
“Sita was born from an earthen pot… at that time, some test tube baby project must be underway that King Janak was ploughing a field that when he was took the baby out of the pot, she became Sita. Shouldn’t this technology be called test tube baby,” he said to an amused gathering.
Sharma has been saying such things in the past too. He has said that Sanjay, the character in Mahabharata who could see things far off was akin to “live telecast” of today. At a recent event to mark the ‘Hindi Patrakarita Diwas’ Sharma had called the saint Narada as the first journalist.
Meanwhile BJP has expressed anguish over Dinesh Sharma’s comments that goddess Sita’s birth was evidence of a test tube baby “project” during the Ramayana and asked him to exercise restraint in his speeches.
BJP sources said party general secretary Bhupender Yadav called up Sharma to convey the leadership’s disapproval of his controversial statement. The disapproval came after Sharma’s comments were criticised and it was believed that his views might hurt the party’s image as Sita is a revered figure for Hindus.