Lucknow— The controversial Ramcharitmanas, written by 16th century poet Tulsidas, faced scathing criticism from Swami Prasad Maurya, who decried its alleged anti-Shudra and anti-women content. In response, a group of fervent supporters of the Swami, convening under the auspices of the All India OBC Mahasabha, congregated at the Vrindavan colony near SGPGI in Lucknow. They championed the cause of Swami Prasad Maurya through enthusiastic slogans, before proceeding to ignite copies of the contentious text in a fiery display.

Ashok Maurya, of the All India OBC Mahasabha told The Mooknayak that, the Ramcharitmanas, deemed to be discriminatory against Bahujans and women who constitute a majority of society, was symbolically burned. He emphasized the need to ban books that propagate such offensive views in a democratic nation.

Outrage on social media

The burning of the Ramcharitmanas triggered widespread outrage on social media, with numerous users calling for the prompt apprehension of those responsible. The controversy surrounding the text was sparked by the statement of Education Minister of Bihar, Prof. Chandrashekhar, who claimed that certain texts, including the Manusmriti, Ramcharitmanas, and Guru Golwalkar's Bunch of Thoughts, foment enmity. Despite the increasing criticism, Prof Chandrashekhar stood steadfast and was joined by former UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya in a sustained attack against the book.