Lucknow, Jan 25: No one is being forced to raise 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans and there is nothing to feel bad about such chants, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Monday after his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee refused to speak at an event over raising of such slogans.

Banerjee on Saturday refused to speak at an official event attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mark the beginning of the celebrations of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's 124th birth anniversary after 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans were raised just before she was to start her address. Mamata Banerjee Refuses to Deliver Speech at Event Organised to Commemorate Netaji's Birth Anniversary in Kolkata Amid 'Jai Shri Ram' Slogans (Video).

Speaking to a select group of journalists, Adityanath said, "If someone says Jai Shri Ram there is nothing to feel bad about it as it is a greeting"'.

"If someone says 'namaskar' or 'Jai Shri Ram' it shows his etiquette," he said.

Responding to questions on Banerjee refusing to speak after such chants, Adityanath said, "We are not forcing anyone to speak it. But if someone says Jai Shri Ram there is nothing to feel bad about it."

The West Bengal chief minister had expressed displeasure at BJP supporters at the event shouting slogans. She said such an “insult” was unacceptable.

With elections due in the state in March-April, the tussle between the BJP and Banerjee's TMC has intensified.

Talking about law and order in the state, Adityanath, said the state witnessed several riots during earlier regimes while under this government the state has not witnessed any such incident. He claimed the law and order situation in the state is one of the best in the country.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)