Former Uttar Pradesh minister and a Member of the Legislative Council of the Samajwadi Party Swami Prasad Maurya on Sunday said that the Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas contains “objectionable language” for Dalits, tribals and the backward classes of society.
With Maurya’s remarks to news channel Aaj Tak, the Akhilesh Yadav-led party has officially waded into a controversy that began after remarks by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar Education minister Chandra Shekhar.
“Koi crore log isko nahi padhte. Sab bakwas hai. Yeh Tulsidas ne apni prashansa aur khushi ke liye likha hai. Dharm ho, hum uska swagat karte hain. Par dharm ke naam par gaali kyun? Dalit ko, adivasiyon ko, pichdon ko. Jaati lekar ke naam. Shudra keh kar ke, kyun gaali de rahe hain? Kya gaali dena dharm hai? (Crores of people do not read this (Ramcharitmanas). Tulsidas wrote this in self-praise and for his own happiness. If it is religion, we welcome it. But why abuse Dalits, tribals, and backward classes in the name of religion? Naming their caste, referring to them as ‘shudra… Can abuse be religion?),” Maurya said.
Similar remarks by the Bihar minister had triggered a backlash from the Opposition, with calls for the minister’s ouster and an apology. While the minister remained adamant and stuck to his stand, the remarks by Maurya in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh have triggered a similar storm.
Reacting to Maurya’s remarks, the BJP accused the BJP of “disrespecting Hindus” as part of the Samajwadi Party’s agenda. The party, a BJP spokesperson said, will have to bear the consequences of Maurya’s remarks.
“When Swami Prasad Maurya was in the BJP, we never heard such statements from him. Since he has been in the SP, he has started disrespecting Hindus which is part of the SP’s agenda. He is opposing the Ramcharitmanas to divide society… The SP will have to face the consequences for this,” BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said.
Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav or the Samajwadi Party are yet to react to Maurya’s comment. The remarks in Bihar had triggered a storm with ruling alliance partner Congress slamming it as “unacceptable.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, while initially trying to distance himself from the controversy, later said he will speak to the minister. While BJP demanded that Chandra Shekhar be sacked as a minister, Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) demanded an apology.
Addressing the convocation at Nalanda Open University earlier this month, Chandra Shekhar referred to the Manusmriti, Ramcharitmanas and A Bunch of Thoughts (by M S Golwalkar) as “divisive texts” and claimed that B R Ambedkar was right in opposing Manusmriti.