Days after the alleged caste-based assault on two non-Brahmin religious storytellers in Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav slammed the ruling BJP and said the incident was part of a larger conspiracy to divide UP along caste lines.
His remarks were met with backlash from the ruling party. In Lucknow, UP minister Jaiveer Singh accused Yadav of giving the tonsuring incident a "casteist spin" and blamed him for stoking the violence.
However, now, former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has come out in his support and defended his remarks. While addressing an event, Singh said, "Akhilesh Yadav is a religious person. His father Mulayam Singh Yadav used to worship Lord Hanuman. Akhilesh is a descendant of Lord Krishna. He is not anti-religion. He speaks against religion because of political compulsion."
"I probably shouldn't have said this here, but since there are intellectual people present here, this truth slipped out of my mouth," he added.
Speaking on the Etawah tonsuring incident, the former BJP MP said, "Narrating religious stories is not the exclusive right of any particular caste or community. It is a right that belongs to everyone. Those who criticize storytellers in the name of purity should read the life stories of Ved Vyas and Vidur. No one should insult any specific caste. However, the kind of politics being played over this entire issue is unacceptable. Religion and caste should not be used as tools for political gain."
Etawah Tonsuring Row
Two Bhagwat Katha preachers, Mukut Mani Yadav, and his aide, Sant Singh Yadav, were allegedly tonsured and humiliated in a village in Etawah. The incident on June 22 allegedly took place when it was found that they belonged to the Yadav caste.
Tensions escalated after members of the Yadav groups on Thursday protested against the alleged caste-based tonsuring of a Bhagwat Katha preacher and his aide, demanding the arrest of all accused.
The incident triggered widespread protests in the village and led to the arrest of four accused -- Ashish Tiwari, Uttam Kumar Awasthi, Nikki Awasthi and Manu Dubey -- all residents of the village.
Akhilesh Yadav, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, had shared a video of the incident, which showed the accused purportedly saying, "You are getting punished for coming to the village of Brahmins."
He attacked the ruling BJP over the alleged assault and said the incident was part of a larger conspiracy to divide Uttar Pradesh along caste lines by bringing in "planted elements" from neighbouring states.
He then took a jibe at religious leader Acharya Dhirendra Shastri and said there are many storytellers who charge Rs 50 lakh.
"Many kathavachaks charge Rs 50 lakh for an event. Can anyone afford Dhirendra Shastri for a katha (religious ceremony) at their residence? He takes the money under the table," he told reporters in Hindi.
Yadav said he doesn't know how much Shastri, also known as Bageshwar Baba, charges for storytelling, but claimed "it is not free".
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