Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party (SP), is said to be upset with his party member Swami Prasad Maurya for his contentious statements about Ramcharitmanas.
According to insiders, Akhilesh Yadav is furious with Maurya and plans to hold a news conference on his behalf. Aside from Akhilesh Yadav, numerous MLAs from the party have distanced themselves from Maurya’s comments.
Several MLAs, according to sources, have talked with Akhilesh Yadav over the phone. There is widespread dissatisfaction inside the party over SP MLC’s contentious comments.
The Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya on Sunday, sparked a major controversy after he demanded the deletion of “insulting comments and sarcasm” targeted at particular castes and sects in Ramcharitmanas, a poem based on the epic Ramayana.
Speaking to ANI, the SP leader said, “I don’t have any issue with Ramcharitramanas but parts of it have insulting comments and sarcasm directed at particular castes and sects. Those should be removed.”
Maurya further claimed that in the Ramcharitmanas, which was composed by Tulsidas, there are words hurting the sentiments of the Dalit community.
Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the Samajwadi Party over Maurya’s statement.
UP BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary said, “People like Swami Prasad Maurya are deranged. Akhilesh Yadav should clarify whether it is his party’s view or Swami Prasad’s personal view.
Swami Prasad Maurya’s comment, according to senior Samajwadi Party leader and party MLA Ravidas Malhotra, is his own opinions, not the party’s. Ravidas Mehrotra told ANI that his comment had reached the party’s national president, Akhilesh Yadav, and that action will be done against similar utterances in the coming days.
