Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Swami Prasad Maurya courted controversy on Sunday by saying that there exists no such religion as 'Hinduism' and claimed that the Hindu religion is a 'hoax' to trap Dalits, tribals and other backward communities.
In a post in Hindi on X (formerly Twitter), Maurya said, "The roots of Brahminism are very deep and the cause of all the disparity is also Brahminism itself. There is no religion called Hinduism, Hindu religion is just a fallacy (dhokha)."
"In real meaning, the Brahmin religion has been termed the Hindu religion, and there is a conspiracy to trap Dalits, tribals and backward people of this country. If there was a Hindu religion, tribals, Dalits and the backwards would have been given respect, but what an irony," he further said.
Reacting to this post, senior Aam Aadmi Party Shekhar Dixit said in Hindi, "Buddhism teaches non-violence, love and sacrifice, so if @SwamiPMaurya ji does not believe in Hinduism, then he must have read the Buddha, who was born in the Rajput clan of Hindu religion, renounced all attachments and took 'sanyas' for the deprived and exploited.."
Hitting out at Maurya without taking his name, former deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Dinesh Sharma said, "In the 2024 (Lok Sabha polls), the public will completely destroy the parties that insult 'Sanatan Dharma', and the opposition will have to face defeat on all the (80) seats in the state."
Sharma further said the Maurya's statement was "unfortunate" and alleged that it violates democratic norms and constitutional rights. "This statement shows the frustration of the SP," he said.
Another Samajwadi Party leader I P Singh said, "Mr Swami Prasad Maurya should refrain from speaking on religious issues every day. You had accepted Buddhism years ago, (but) it does not mean that you should criticise Hinduism continuously."
Earlier this year, the Samajwadi Party leader had triggered a row by claiming that certain verses of the Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas "insult" a large section of society on the basis of caste and demanded that these be "banned".
(with agency inputs)
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