Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya has stirred controversy with remarks on Hinduism, stating, "Hindu dharma ek dhokha hai (Hindu religion is a kind of deception)".
Maurya claimed that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have also asserted Hinduism as not a religion but merely "a way of life".
Citing a Supreme Court ruling from 1955, Maurya defended his stance, saying, "In 1955, the Supreme Court said in its order that Hindu is not a religion but a way of life".
“Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas together make up eight per cent of the population. These eight per cent cannot form a government on its own. These have exploited the backward classes and formed the government in the name of Hindu. For the purpose of votes, we are Hindus. But after forming the government, we are no longer Hindus. If it had been the case, they would have never cancelled reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes or backward castes,” Maurya said.
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This isn't the first time Maurya has made controversial remarks about Hinduism. In August, he shared a video on social media, asserting that "Hinduism is just a hoax," attributing societal disparities to Brahminism.
Swami Prasad Maurya had previously left the BJP to join the Samajwadi Party ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.
Akhilesh Yadav reacts
Speaking to the representatives of Kannauj's Prabuddha Samaj and Maha Brahmin Samaj Panchayat at the party's state headquarters in Lucknow, Samajwadi Party Chief, Akhilesh Yadav advised that leaders should avoid making comments on religion and caste, as reported by India Today.
Some party workers had objected to the statements of Swami Maurya without taking his name.
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In response to Swami Prasad Maurya's comments, several BJP leaders criticised his statements.
BJP MP Subrat Pathak has called for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to file an FIR against SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav and take strict action, labelling Maurya's remarks as an insult to Hindus.
Union Minister Narayan Rane expressed, "Such a person cannot be a citizen of India".
BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi accused Maurya and other opposition INDIA bloc leaders of insulting Sanatana Dharma and the Hindu religion.
