'Dilip Ghosh must apologise for calling Ramakrishna illiterate & Tagore as someone who studied till class VIII'

KOLKATA: Devotees and admirers of Sri Ramakrishna across the globe have criticised Dilip Ghosh, national vice-president of BJP, for calling Paramahamsa Dev 'illiterate' and referring to Rabindranath as 'a person who had studied up to class VIII only.'

They also demanded that the leader should tender an apology in public.

Reacting sharply, Ashim Banerjee, a resident of Houston, said: "It is most unfortunate that a political leader is calling Sri Ramakrishna illiterate when lakhs of people across the globe are following the path shown by him."

It was Fredrick Max Muller, the great Indologist, who had first written a book on Ramakrishna, his life and sayings in 1898. Nobel Laureate Romain Rolland wrote a book on the life of Ramakrishna in 1929. "Many scholars in Europe and America are working on the sayings of Sri Ramakrishna," Banerjee

said.

Bijaya Mitra, a resident of the UK, said: "Such a statement by a political leader is most unfortunate. Tagore had come in contact with all the great personalities, be it Gandhi or Einstein, and people across the globe are reading Tagore till today. Tagore had delivered a lecture on the birth centenary of Sri Ramakrishna in 1936, which everyone should read."

Professor Rosina Quader, a scholar in Rajshahi in Bangladesh, said: "Sri Ramakrishna's view of harmony of all religions and there are as many ways as there are views attract thousands across the globe."

Professor Tuhinkana Banerjee, a resident of New York, said: "It is really shocking to hear this from a people's representative. He should tender an unconditional apology for his statement before the television."

Scholar Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri said: "Least said is best. It seems that Dilip Ghosh believes in a logic which says all crows are black, It is best to ignore such persons."