LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party MLC Swami Prasad Maurya in Uttar Pradesh is in a tight corner for "ridiculing Hinduism."
A Congress leader in Moradabad on Tuesday offered a bounty of Rs 10 lakh for cutting off the tongue of Maurya, but later withdrew his statement.
Meanwhile, State General Secretary of Shiv Sena and Kranti Sena, Manoj Saini offered Rs 1100 for hitting Maurya with shoes.
Bounty for Maurya's tongue
Pandit Ganga Ram Sharma, chairman of Moradabad district Congress Committee's Human rights cell came out with an offer of Rs 10 lakh for cutting off the tongue of Maurya for ridiculing Hindu Dharma. Sharma was also angry against Maurya for making "vitriolic remarks against Hinduism" on various occasions.
However, Sharma on Wednesday withdrew his bounty offer by issuing another statement. In that, Sharma said he is taking back his earlier statement since the Congress party stood for love, truth and non-violence
"Our party follows the path of truth and non-violence and I abide by those principles completely. So, I express regret over my undignified remarks and withdraw my statement given on August 29, 2023," said Sharma.
He claimed that he was withdrawing his statement against SP MLC Swami Prasad Maurya after having a discussion with Congress's Moradabad district chief Aslam Khurshid.
Sharma had accused Maurya of insulting epic Ramcharit Manas. Hurt by the SP leader’s incendiary remarks, he reportedly issued a press note, on Tuesday, saying that Swami Prasad Maurya was not only insulting Tulsidas’ Ramcharit Manas but also the Hindu religion. The statement had gone viral on social media.
The Congress party had distanced itself from Sharma’s controversial statement.
Responding to the development, Aslam Khurshid said that Sharma's statement had nothing to do with the party and it was the latter's personal remark.
Shiv Sena leader offers Rs 1100 for hitting Maurya with shoes
Meanwhile, another local leader announced that he would give a reward for thrashing SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya. While speaking to the media, State General Secretary of Shiv Sena and Kranti Sena Manoj Saini stated that they will give Rs 1100 to the one who will hit Swami Prasad Maurya with shoes.
It may be recalled that after spearheading a hateful campaign against Ramcharit Manas, on August 27, Maurya announced that Hinduism is not a religion but a "hoax." He also equated Hindu religion to an oppressive trap for the deprived and the downtrodden people.
The Samajwadi Party chose to distance itself from Maurya’s remarks when its leader Manoj Kumar Pandey claimed that Maurya’s statements did not reflect the stance of the party. He slammed his senior party colleague for using religion to “revive his political career.”