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Don’t insult dalits, OBCs by calling them ‘Shudras’: Mayawati to SP
Like the Congress, the BJP and the Samajwadi Party are also no less than anyone in neglecting and insulting the Dalits and OBC, the BSP chief alleged in a tweet in Hindi
Amid the ongoing controversy over the Hindu epic ‘Ramcharitmanas’, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Friday slammed the Samajwadi Party (SP) for terming the marginalised sections of the society, including the scheduled caste (SC), the scheduled tribe (ST) and Other Backward Class (OBC) ‘Shudras’.
In a series of tweets in Hindi, the BSP chief said, “The ‘Ramcharitmanas’ and the ‘Manusmriti’ are not the books for the weaker and neglected classes in the country. Instead, the Indian Constitution is their book in which Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar has given them the name of SC, ST and OBC, not ‘Shudras’. The SP should not insult them by calling them ‘Shudras’ nor should they disobey the Constitution.”
“Like other states of the country the matter of exploitation, injustice, injustice meted out to Dalits, tribals and OBC communities as well contempt of great saints, gurus and great men etc born in these classes is reported in Uttar Pradesh. Like the Congress, the BJP and the Samajwadi Party are also no less than anyone in neglecting and insulting the Dalits and OBC,” Mayawati alleged.
“Before advocating for these communities, the SP chief must remember the incident of June 2, 1995, at the Lucknow state guest house when the then SP government made an attack on the daughter of a Dalit who was going to become the chief minister,” she said.
“It is a well-known fact that the self-respect and dignity of SC, ST, OBCs, Muslims and other religious minorities in the country are always protected and safe in the BSP, while other parties are indulging in a variety of tricks and drama to get their votes,” the BSP chief added.
Samajwadi Party national general secretary Swami Prasad Maurya stoked a controversy on January 22 when he alleged that certain verses in the ‘Ramcharitmanas’ composed by Goswami Tulsidas insulted a large section of the society on the basis of caste. He had also demanded a ban on those verses.
Later, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav came out in support of Maurya accusing the BJP of caste discrimination. “The dalits and OBC are considered ‘Shudras’ by the BJP government. I will ask the Uttar Pradesh CM to define ‘Shudras’ and about the controversial verses in ‘Ramcahritmanas’ when I meet him on the floor of the state assembly,” Akhilesh had said.
After the SP chief’s statement, a hoarding came up outside the party state unit office titled ‘Garv se kaho hum shudra hain (say with pride that we are Shudra)’. The hoarding--by the name and title printed on it--indicates that it was put up by national general secretary of All India Kurmi Kshatriya Mahasabha (Mumbai) Dr Shudra Uttam Prakash Singh Patel.
