Lucknow: Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya on Sunday demanded the deletion of "insulting comments and sarcasm" targeted at particular castes and sects in Ramcharitmanas, a poem based on the epic Ramayana. "I don't have any issue with Ramcharitramanas but parts of it has insulting comments and sarcasm directed at particular castes and sects. Those should be removed," the SP leader said. In Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas there are words that hurt the sentiments of the Dalit community, he added.
"The government should take effective action and show sensitivity. It should see that the sentiments of any community are not hurt," he added. Maurya left the ruling BJP last year in January and joined the Samajwadi Party (SP), ahead of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier this month, Bihar Education Minister Chandra Shekhar triggered a row with his statement that the Ramcharitmanas is divisive and spreads hatred in society. His remarks stirred outrage among Hindu religious leaders and the BJP, which demanded his dismissal from the government. Ramcharitmanas and Manusmriti are books that divide society, Chandra Shekhar said while addressing the students at the 15th convocation ceremony of Nalanda Open University.
"Why was the Manusmriti burnt? It is because it has insulting remarks against a large section of the society. Why was Ramcharitmanas resisted? It is because it speaks against the right of the lower caste people to access education. It says lower caste people turn poisonous if they receive education, just as a snake becomes venomous after drinking milk," the minister said.
"Manusmriti, Ramcharitmanas, Bunch of Thoughts by Guru Golwalkar... these books are books that spread hatred. Hatred will not make the country great, love will make the country great," he added.
