Muslim Clerics Demand Apology From SP Leader Over His Remark ‘Ramcharitmanas’

Lucknow: After Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya’s remarks on Ramcharitramanas created a ruckus among Hindu patronizers, a section of Muslim clerics on Monday condemned the leader’s remark. Muslim clerics have also demanded an apology from Maurya.

Meanwhile, the party distanced itself from Maurya’s remark, saying it was his personal comments.

All the same, the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh demanded that he apologises and takes back his statement.

Maurya, who is considered a prominent OBC leader in the state, said, “Religion is meant for the welfare of humanity and for the strengthening of it.”

Maurya had on Sunday said, “If there is any insult to a section of society due to certain lines in the Ramcharitmanas on the basis of ‘jaati’, ‘varna’ and ‘varg’, then it is certainly not ‘dharma’, it is ‘adharma’.”

He said, “there are certain lines in which names of castes such as ‘teli’ and ‘kumhaar’ are mentioned” which hurt the feelings of lakhs of people who belong to these castes.

Maurya made the demand that such portions of the book which, according to him, deprecates one on the basis of one’s caste, or any such marker, should be banned.