Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 23 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Bhupendra Chowdhary on Monday lashed out at Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya over his controversial remark on 'Ramcharitmanas' and also sought his party's stand in the matter.

The Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya on Sunday, sparked a major controversy after he demanded the deletion of "insulting comments and sarcasm" targeted at particular castes and sects in Ramcharitmanas, a poem based on the epic Ramayana.

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Speaking to ANI, the SP leader said, "I don't have any issue with Ramcharitramanas but parts of it have insulting comments and sarcasm directed at particular castes and sects. Those should be removed."

Maurya further claimed that in the Ramcharitmanas, which was composed by Tulsidas, there are words hurting the sentiments of the Dalit community.

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Speaking to reporters here in Moradabad on Monday, the UP BJP chief said, "People like Swami Prasad Maurya are deranged. Akhilesh Yadav should clarify whether it is his party's view or Swami Prasad's personal view.

"SP has always stood with anti-nationals. Whether it was opening fire on 'karsevaks' (during the fall of Babri Masjid) or taking cases back on terrorists," he further alleged.

On the upcoming Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) elections, the BJP leader said, "There are elections for five Vidhan Parishad seats on January 30. The BJP has announced candidates on all five seats and we are confident of coming out victorious in all of them."

"The government should take effective action and show sensitivity. It should see that the sentiments of any community are not hurt," Maurya had added earlier.

Maurya left the ruling BJP last year in January and joined the Samajwadi Party (SP), ahead of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)