"I wonder why people have a problem with Lord Shiva being called a Bind," Brij Kishor Bind said.

A Bihar minister has claimed that Lord Shiva, also known as Mahadev (the greatest among gods), belonged to the socially and educationally backward Bind caste.

Brij Kishor Bind left people bemused with his comments at an event in Patna on Tuesday to felicitate the newly-appointed governor. Biha Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi was also at the event

On Wednesday, when journalists approached the minister with queries about his statement which was starkly reminiscent of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's "Hanuman is a Dalit" gaffe, the Bihar minister dug in his heels.

"I quoted from the Shiva Purana to underscore my point that Lord Shiva was, indeed, a Bind. This point is corroborated in a book written by historian Vidyadhar Mahajan whose works are prescribed in post-graduate courses, Brij Kishor Bind said.

"I wonder why people are having a problem with Lord Shiva being called a Bind when Lord Rama is seen as a Kshatriya and Lord Krishna a gwala (a term used in the state to denote the Yadav caste), the senior BJP leader added.