Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav has asked the 'religious scientists' of the BJP to explain the verses in Ramcharitmanas and he would stop asking questions.
Akhilesh said that he had no problem with Ramcharitmanas "but what is wrong is wrong". "They (BJP) are 'religious scientists' and know everything so they should explain to us," he stated.
Senior SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya, last month, had triggered a row over the ancient text Ramcharitmanas, saying that the poet-saint Tulsidas in some of the verses of the epic had used derogatory references for backwards, Dalits and women.
Akhilesh said, "I listen to bhajans every day for at least an hour in the morning. Samajwadis follow all the avatars of Lord Vishnu. But if the Opposition is raising some questions, then Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should reply to them."
The SP chief also talked about Karna (a warrior in the epic Mahabharat)' who was raised in a Shudra family. Akhilesh said, "Because of being a Shudra, he too had to face humiliation and those people who fragmented the society in castes are the ones who do not want caste census.
If those people get the caste census done, they will be out of power. If we come to power, we will get the caste census done in three months in the state." Akhilesh further said, "The caste system is an old problem -- 5,000 years old...the problem will not go away in a day.
If you read Mahabharat, then you will know what all Karna had to suffer. Also read what the eminent poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar wrote about Karna. He wrote that Karna had to suffer because of being a Shudra."
Akhilesh alleged the BJP does not want the society to get rid of the caste system. "These people do not want the backwards and Dalits to get the rights given to them by the Constitution.
It is only after the caste census that these caste members will be able to get their rights through reservation in jobs," he said. He further said: "Samajwadis had never insulted anyone, they accepted all.
We respect all scriptures. We have left some things for the Prime Minister. The BJP people are 'religious scientists', let them explain (the verses in Ramcharitmanas), we will stop asking questions."