An First Information Report (FIR) was registered on Tuesday against Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former Minister Swami Prasad Maurya at the Hazratganj Police station in Lucknow over his controversial remarks on the ‘Ramcharitmanas’.
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The Uttar Pradesh police lodged the case under Sections 153 A (wanton vilification or attacks upon the religion, race, place of birth, residence), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religious beliefs) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on the petition of one Shivendra Mishra.
While Mr. Maurya is under fire over the comments, the Samajwadi Party distanced itself from the issue with senior party leader and Jaswantnagar MLA Shivpal Singh Yadav reiterating that the statement was the personal opinion of Mr. Maurya.
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He added that the Samajwadi Party follows the ideals of Lord Ram and Krishna. We are the people who follow the ideals of Ram and Krishna. Raghukul tradition has always been followed by the party. Mr. Maurya’s statements are his personal views, Mr. Yadav said.
The controversy erupted when the former Minister said that objectionable language was used against Dalits and Adivasis in the Ramcharitramanas written by Tulsidas.
“This is not true that crores of people read it. It was written by Tulsidas for own happiness. But why abuses in the name of religion? Abuses to Backwards, Dalits and tribals. I respect all religions. But if in the name of religion, a community or caste is humiliated then it is objectionable,” said Mr. Maurya.
Mr. Maurya, a senior U.P. politician joined the Samajwadi Party before the 2022 Assembly election after resigning from the post of Cabinet Minister in the Yogi Adityanath ministry and from the BJP alleging injustice to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the saffron camp.