Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya has triggered a huge row with his controversial remarks over Hinduism.

“Hindu dharma ek dhokha hai (Hindu religion is a kind of deception),” Swami Prasad Maurya said adding that even RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have also said that Hinduism is not a religion, but just “a way of life”.

“Even Mohan Bhagwat had said, not once but twice, that Hindu is not a religion but a way of life. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said that Hindu is not a religion. Sentiments don’t get hurt when these people make such statements but if Swami Prasad Maurya says it, the remarks cause unrest,” he said.

Mr Maurya also cited a Supreme Court’s ruling to justify his remarks. “In 1955, the Supreme Court said in its order that Hindu is not a religion but a way of life,” Mr Maurya said.

#WATCH | Delhi: Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya says, “Hindu ek dhokha hai…RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat has said twice that there is no religion called Hindu but instead, it is a way of living. Prime Minister Modi has also said that there is no Hindu religion…Sentiments… pic.twitter.com/1qnULH1rqt

— ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

This is not the first time when Swami Prasad Maurya, who had quit the BJP to join the Samajwadi Party ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, has made anti-Hindu” remarks.

In August, he shared a video on X – earlier known as Twitter – saying that “Hinduism is just a hoax”. “The roots of Brahminism are very deep and the reason for all the disparity is also Brahminism. There is no religion called Hindu, Hinduism is just a hoax,” he was heard saying in the video. 

The Samajwadi Party leader had in January this year said that certain verses of the Ramcharitmanas promoted social discrimination. “If there is any insult to a section of society due to certain lines in the Ramcharitmanas on the basis of ‘jaati’, ‘varn’ and ‘varg’, then it is certainly not ‘dharma’, it is ‘adharma’,” he had said.

Swami Prasad Maurya had also made controversial remarks against Goddess Lakshmi. “Every child born anywhere in the world has two hands, two legs, two ears, and two eyes and if a child with eight hands, and ten hands has not been born till now, how can Goddess Lakshmi be born with four hands,” he had said.

His party has, however, once again distanced itself from his remarks. “By making such statements, these people are doing wrong for themselves,” said Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had earlier said that his party never engages in politics of religion. “The stand of the Samajwadi Party on religion is clear. There should be no discussion about it,” he had said. 

Merry Christmas starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi and helmed by Sriram Raghavan has created quite the stir with its trailer. The unusual pairing of the lead cast has sparked an interest like no other.

The title track of the film has vocals by Ash King and the music has been composed by Pritam. 

The music has some refreshing tunes mixed with some peppy beats, making it a perfect Christmas song. The lyrics set a tone of what the mystery would eventually reveal and it sure is interesting.

The film is slated to release on January 12, 2024 in theatres.

India will track down those behind attacks on Merchant Navy ships, “even from the depths of the sea”, and take action against them, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Tuesday at the commissioning of INS Imphal, the third of four ‘Visakhapatnam-class’ warships developed and designed by the Navy.

“The government has taken the drone attack on MV Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea, and on MV Sai Baba in the Red Sea, very seriously,” he said. “The Navy has increased surveillance… whoever carried out this attack, we will find them even from the seabed. Those behind it will be brought to justice.”

India is the “net security provider (for) the entire Indian Ocean region”, he said, stressing that the government will “work with friendly nations” and ensure the safety of maritime trade in the region.

The comment came after the Navy confirmed MV Chem Pluto was attacked by a drone two days ago.

A Pentagon spokesperson said Sunday the shit was hit by “a one-way attack drone fired from Iran”.

READ | Merchant Ship Was Hit By Drone 400 Km West Of Indian Coast: Navy

The attack – 400 km off India’s west coast – was one of several carried out by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have been targeting the vital Red Sea shipping lane amid the Israel-Gaza war.

A Liberia-flagged oil tanker, MV Chem Pluto set sail from a port in Saudi Arabia and was headed for Mangaluru in Karnataka when it was attacked. The drone strike caused a fire on board, officials said.

READ | How Coast Guard Responded To SOS From Ship Struck By Drone

The ship and its 21 crew, including a Vietnamese national, docked at Mumbai this morning, after which the Navy’s explosive ordnance team carried out an inspection. Images showed damage to the stern (rear) from a possible aerial attack but a forensic analysis is required to establish the details.

READ | India Deploys 3 Warships To Counter Attacks In Arabian Sea

Chem Pluto has been cleared for further operation and will undergo mandatory checks before ship-to-ship transfer of cargo, a Navy official said. This will be followed by docking and repair of damages.

A second oil tanker – the Gabon-registered MV Sai Baba, with 25 Indian crew members on board – was also attacked by a drone in the Southern Red Sea, Indian and American military officials said.

Fortunately, no one was injured. However, to guard against attacks on commercial vessels in the region, three warships – Mormugao, Kochi and Kolkata – have been deployed for a deterrent presence.

With input from agencies

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