JOIN US'Ramcharitmanas' controversy takes political turn, SC, OBC outfits extend support to Maurya
The raging controversy over former Uttar Pradesh minister and senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Swami Prasad Maurya's remarks on the Hindu epic 'Ramcharitmanas' took a political turn after several SC and OBC outfits sprung to the minister's defence and declared that they would take out a foot march in Lucknow on Wednesday to back him and protest what they termed "objectionable" references to the Dalits (shudra), backward classes and women in some religious books.
A huge poster has also come up outside the SP office here containing slogans like 'garva se kaho hum shudra hain' (say with pride that we are shudra). The poster has been put up by one Shudra Uttam Prakash Singh Patel, who claims to be the national general secretary of All India Khastriya Kurmi Mahasabha, Mumbai.
Incidentally, the poster was put up after SP president Akhilesh Yadav said that the BJP leaders considered him to be 'shudra'. "I would like to ask Yogi Adityanath if he considers me shudra," Akhilesh had said a few days ago. He had also said that he would ask Adityanath to recite the couplet from the epic which Maurya claimed was 'anti-Dalit' and 'anti-women'.
Some SC and OBC outfits will undertake a foot march from Parivartan Chowk to the Ambedkar Statue on Wednesday in support of Maurya and to protest "objectionable" references to the Dalits, backward classes and women in some religious scriptures.
"Many leaders from the SC and OBC communities will take part in the foot march. We have invited SC and OBC leaders to take part in the foot march," said Manoj Paswan, the convenor of the outfits here on Tuesday.
The All India OBC Mahasabha workers had also held similar protests here on Sunday. They also lent support to Maurya and defended his remarks on the 'Ramcharitmanas'.
Maurya against whom an FIR was lodged following the remarks on the epic and who faced criticism from seers remained undeterred and said that there were many "criminals" among the seers. An Ayodhya-based seer has also announced a reward of Rs 21 lakh to whosoever beheads Maurya.
BJP has also taken strong exception to Maurya's remarks and some saffron outfits had staged protest demonstrations. Earlier, Bihar education minister Chandra Shekhar said that Ramcharitmanas promoted hatred and social discrimination.