Akhilesh faces protest by Hindu groups over Swami Prasad Maurya’s Ramcharitmanas remarks

“BJP people consider Dalits as Shudra. They consider us backwards and Dalits as Shudras (untouchable).”

Hindu right-wing groups in Lucknow and marked Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav’s visit with black flags when he participated in Maa Pitambara 108 Mahayaga on the banks of the Gomti in Daliganj, to protest against party leader Swami Prasad Maurya’s statement on Ramcharitmanas.

Visibly upset with the protest, Mr. Yadav alleged that the ruling BJP considers Dalits and Backward Castes as Shudra and warned the saffron party that a bad precedent is being set by disturbing programmes of Opposition leaders. “BJP people consider Dalits as Shudra. They consider us backwards and Dalits as Shudras (untouchable),” he told media persons.

Mr. Maurya, a former minister and party MLC, said that objectionable language had been used against Backward castes, 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 [his] own happiness. But why abuse 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,” he said.

This led to protests by the BJP and many right-wing groups. The BJP alleged that the statement reflected the ideology of his party against Hinduism and Hindu deities. Mr. Maurya is considered a prominent Other Backward Caste (OBC) face of the SP. He joined the party before the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections by resigning from the post of Cabinet Minister in the Yogi Adityanath government and as well as from the BJP, alleging injustice to the OBCs in the saffron camp.

Earlier Mr. Maurya, whose statement over Ramcharitmanas led to a massive uproar, met Mr. Yadav at party headquarters where he was asked to take forward the issue of caste census. The SP is demanding for a caste based census in U.P.