Samajwadi Party Swami Prasad Maurya
Lucknow: Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) is facing internal turmoil after a controversial statement made by party leader Swami Prasad Maurya. Maurya's remarks, in which he referred to Hinduism as a "hoax" and attributed societal disparities to Brahminism, have drawn criticism from various quarters.
SP leader Manoj Kumar Pandey distanced the party from Maurya's comments, asserting that they do not align with the official stance of the SP. Pandey criticized Maurya for using religious sentiments to potentially bolster his own political career, emphasizing that such divisive rhetoric wasn't representative of the party's beliefs.
BJP leader Dinesh Sharma and AAP's Shekhar Dixit also voiced their dissent towards Maurya's statements, indicating a broad-based consensus against his controversial claims.
In a recent social media post, Maurya shared a video of his speech on Hinduism, where he asserted that Hinduism was a fabricated concept, and Brahminism was responsible for societal inequalities. He contended that the manipulation of the Brahmin religion into Hinduism has marginalized Dalits, tribals, and backward classes.
This isn't the first time Maurya has ignited controversy. Earlier this year, he ignited a dispute by alleging that certain sections of the Hindu religious text, Ramcharitmanas, perpetuated caste-based discrimination.
He advocated for the removal of these verses, or alternatively, banning the entire text. Maurya's previous comments sparked debates on the historical context of the text, which was composed by the 16th-century Bhakti poet Tulsidas.