Fatwa issued against Bihar Minister for chanting 'jai shri Ram'; Khurshid remains defiant

Patna: Bihar Minister ​Khurshid alias Firoz Ahmad on Sunday said that he will not hesitate in chanting 'jai shri Ram' for the sake of harmony and development of the state.

"If I have to say 'jai shri Ram' for people of Bihar, development, harmony, I will never step back from saying it," the minister said while talking to ANI.

Imarat Shariah, Islamic religious body in Bihar has issued a Fatwa against Khurshid for chanting slogans of ‘jai shri Ram’ in the Bihar Assembly.

Reacting over the diktat, Ahmad stated, "God knows with what intention I raised slogans of 'jai shri Ram'. My work will tell who I am... Respect Imarat Shariah, they should have asked my intentions (before issuing fatwa). Why should I be scared?"

Khurshid was once again made a minister in the JD(U)-BJP government yesterday and was given the Minority Welfare portfolio. He was a minister in the Grand Alliance too.

Earlier on July 28, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had comfortably won the the crucial trust vote after a vitriol-filled debate where he defended his decision to return to the NDA fold.

The 131-108 result of the floor test, held a day after he took office for the sixth time, jettisoning the RJD and embracing former ally BJP, was a foregone conclusion given the numerical superiority of the bloc supporting his government.

Four members in the 243-member house could not vote, reducing the total strength of the house during the trust vote to 239, as per PTI.

With the effective strength of the House reduced to 239 during voting, Bihar's new government needed 120 votes to win the confidence vote.

The 131 votes in favour of Nitish Kumar comprised JD(U) 70, BJP 52, HAM 1, RLSP 2, LJP 2 and Independent 4.

The 108 votes against the motion included 79 of RJD, Congress 26 and CPI-ML 3.

(With Agency inputs)