Kolkata, Jul 6 (IANS): Taking a jibe at Nobel laureate Amartya Sen for saying that the 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan has no historic connect with Bengali culture, state BJP leaders on Saturday said the economist has become disconnected from India's cultural ethos as he mostly stays abroad.

"He (Sen) mostly stays abroad and should continue to stay there. He has no connection or contribution towards the people of India. No one cares about his lectures. Those who depended upon have become extinct," state BJP President Dilip Ghosh said.

Another senior BJP leader Mukul Roy said the 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan is a symbol of good rule and claimed that Sen might have forgotten about the country's traditions for staying abroad for many years.

"There is no doubt that he is a man of big stature. He gets high end security protection whenever he comes to Bengal. He gets pilot cars for travelling to Santiniketan and to Kolkata. But hailing Shri Ram is a symbol of prosperity and good reign. With all due respect to him, I feel he has forgotten about our country's tradition and culture," Roy said.

At a public gathering in Jadavpur University on Friday, Sen said he has not heard 'Jai Shri Ram', in this way and noted that the chant is now used while beating up people.

"I think it has no association with Bengali culture," Sen had said.

He also said that he has never heard of Ram Navami being celebrated in Bengal before, asserting that religious event has recently gained popularity.