Another SP leader calls for a ban on Ramcharitmanas

Lucknow, Jan 25: Another Samajwadi Party leader has demanded that “objectionable lines” be removed from Ramcharitmanas, saying who gave Tulsidas the right to “insult castes” SP leader Brajesh Prajapati said that the objectionable lines in Ramcharitmanas, a popular version of the Ramayana penned by poet Tulsidas, should either be removed or it should be banned completely.

 

 

 

“Who gave Goswami Tulsidas the right to insult castes,” he said, news agency ANI reported.

 

 

 

Earlier, senior SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya said that certain portions of Ramcharitmanas “insult” a large section of society on the basis of caste, adding that these be banned. "If there is any insult to a section of society due to certain lines in the Ramcharitmanas on the basis of 'jaati', 'varn' and 'varg', then it is certainly not 'dharma', it is 'adharma'. There are certain lines in which names of castes such as 'teli' and 'kumhaar' are mentioned," he said. Maurya, a prominent OBC leader in Uttar Pradesh, claimed that the feelings of lakhs of people belonging to these castes have been hurt." "If a debate on Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas is an insult... then why are religious leaders not worried about the insult to SCs, STs, OBCs, and women. Are SCs, STs, OBCs, and (a large number of) women not Hindus?" Maurya asked. Earlier this month, Bihar Education Minister and RJD leader Chandra Shekhar came under sharp criticism after he alleged that certain verses of the Ramcharitmanas endorse social discrimination. Maurya's remark drew sharp reactions from the BJP in Uttar Pradesh which demanded his apology and withdrawal of his statement.

 

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Hitting out at Maurya, Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary sought clarification from SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and his party leaders Shivpal Yadav, Dimple Yadav, and Ramgopal Yadav. The SP also distanced itself from Maurya’s remarks and said that they were his personal comments. SP spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan said that the party respects all religions and traditions, news agency PTI reported.