Maurya writes to Prez, PM on Ramcharitmanas

Lucknow : Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya addressing press conference at his residence in Lucknow on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. (Photo:IANS)

Lucknow: After creating a major controversy over verses in Ramcharitmanas, Samajwadi Party general secretary Swami Prasad Maurya has now sent a letter to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding an amendment to or a ban on the allegedly objectionable verses of the Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas.

In a five-page letter to the President and the Prime Minister, Maurya said he seeks a ban on some of the objectionable parts of some couplets of the Ramcharitmanas in which “women, tribals, Dalits and backward people have been humiliated on a daily basis at the social and religious level.”

The verses should be banned or amended to give respect to “the victim class”, he said.

Maurya also said the Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas composed by Goswami Tulsidas in the middle of the 16th century is very popular among the masses in North India. The medieval feudal casteist thoughts were reflected in the epic written in the Awadhi language, he said.

In some of the verses, the caste system based on discrimination has been justified, he claimed. An attempt has been made to establish the supremacy of a particular caste while the Shudras have been termed lowly and ignoble, he said, adding that in some of the verses, offensive words have been used for women. The references made in the epic throw light on the medieval thinking of Tulsidas, he said.

“After 90 years of struggle, India gained independence. The Constitution drafted by Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar reflects the thoughts that spread among the masses during the freedom struggle and the dream of modern Indians. Ambedkar said the aim is to establish a society based on equality and justice. In the Constitution, it is clearly mentioned that there should be no discrimination based on religion, caste and sex,” he said.

“The Ramcharitmanas is literature based on the story of Ram. It is like other literary texts – Sursagar written on Lord Krishna by Surdas and Padmavat written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi on the love story of Ratansen and Padmavati.

“According to well-known literary figure A.K. Ramanujam, there are around 300 Ramayans in India. But the story-tellers have made Ramcharitmanas a religious text. Why is religious importance being given to this Hindu epic? Is it not an effort to establish the supremacy of the Brahmins and to make Dalits a lowly community?” Maurya asked.

 

“The country will run according to the Constitution and not on the Ramcharitmanas. The Constitution protects the rights of the deprived and weaker sections,” he said.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who comes from a backward community, has also spoken over the insult he suffered on being called lowly. The story tellers and members of the Brahmin community are using loudspeakers to recite Ramcharitmanas. The Dalits, tribals, OBCs and women are forced to face the ignominy. It is necessary to remove the objectionable verses or ban it,” he said.
IANS

Mumbai doctors save micro-preemie baby born at 23 weeks weighing 620 grams

Mumbai: In a rare case, doctors here have given a new lease of life to a micro-preemie baby girl born at 23 weeks, weighing just 620 grams. Micro-preemies are babies...

Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif to meet Chief Justice over ‘interference’ in judicial affairs by intelligence agencies

Islamabad: Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stepped into become a mediating partner between the judiciary and the powerful military establishment to avert a possible disastrous confrontation between the two....

CM not above law, says ED as Kejriwal questions rationale behind his arrest

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday said a chief minister was not above law even as Arvind Kejriwal questioned the rationale behind his arrest in the liquor policy case....

Jitan Manjhi files nomination as NDA candidate from Gaya

Patna March : Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi filed his nomination for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Gaya as the NDA nominee on Thursday. Voting for...

AAP accuses BJP of ‘poaching’ MP, MLA in Punjab

New Delhi: AAP leader and Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday alleged that BJP has poached their party's MP Sushil Kumar Rinku and MLA Sheetal Angural, and that "numerous MLAs...

Meghalaya CM thanks PM Modi for not fielding BJP candidates

Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not fielding BJP candidates in two parliamentary seats in the state. The Chief Minister has been campaigning...

US State Dept staffer resigns over Washington’s Gaza policy

Washington: A US State Department staffer responsible for promoting human rights in regions including Gaza has resigned in protest of the continued delivery of weapons from the US to Israel....

SP changes Moradabad candidate, drops sitting MP

Moradabad (UP): The Samajwadi Party has cancelled the candidature of its sitting MP, S T Hasan, and has named Ruchi Veera as its candidate for the Moradabad Lok Sabha seat....

AAP’s lone Lok Sabha MP from Jalandhar Sushil Kumar Rinku joins BJP

New Delhi: In a major political setback to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, the party's lone MP in the Lok Sabha, Sushil Kumar Rinku (48), joined the...

Chaudhary Lal Singh files nomination for Kathua-Udhampur LS seat in J&K

Jammu: Chaudhary Lal Singh of the Congress filed nomination for the Kathua-Udhampur Lok Sabha seat on Wednesday, the last date of filing papers for the constituency. Accompanied by dozens of...

Private information of 2.7 million Pakistanis compromised

Islamabad: A joint investigation team (JIT), which was formed to probe data leak from National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), has confirmed that the personal information of 2.7 million Pakistanis...

Sadanand Vasant appointed new NIA chief; BPRD, NDRF get new DGs

New Delhi: The Centre has appointed Sadanand Vasant Date as the Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), while IPS officers Rajeev Kumar Sharma and Piyush Anand have been...

Read Previous

Air pollution rises to alarming level in Guwahati, several flights diverted

Read Next

After 500 yrs, Lord Ram will adorn the throne at Ayodhya within a year: UP CM

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com