On Thursday (February 16) night, the Samajwadi party suspended two women leaders on account of opposing the desecration and burning of the sacred Hindu text ‘Ramcharitmanas.’
In a tweet, the caste-based party said, “Smt. Roli Tiwari Mishra and Smt. Richa Singh are being suspended from the Samajwadi Party.”
श्रीमती रोली तिवारी मिश्रा और सुश्री ऋचा सिंह को समाजवादी पार्टी से निष्कासित किया जाता है।
— Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) February 16, 2023
While reacting to the development, former Samajwadi Party leader Dr Richa Singh wrote, “They will visit the office of DGP in support of miscreants using misogynist language but would remove women from the party who support Ramcharitmanas. All hail Samajwad (socialism).”
महिला विरोधी शब्दों का प्रयोग करने वाले लंपटों के लिए डीजीपी ऑफिस जाएंगे और रामचरितमानस के समर्थन में खड़े होने वाले महिलाओं को बाहर का रास्ता दिखाएंगे
— Dr.Richa Singh (@RichaSingh_Alld) February 16, 2023
जय समाजवाद।@yadavakhilesh
Dr Roli Tiwari Mishra, who was also suspended from the Samajwadi Party, took to Twitter to express her angst.
“Thanks for the gift for 16 years of dedication to the party, Akhilesh Yadav. I will keep raising my voice against traitors of the nation, Dharma and Lord Ram like I used to do before,” she said.
Dr Roli Tiwari Mishra emphasised, “I embrace 1000 such suspensions for upholding the dignity and reverence of Sanatan Dharma, Lord Ram and Ramcharitmanas.”
16 वर्षों की निष्ठा के इस पुरस्कार के लिए आभार आदरणीय @yadavakhileshजी
— Dr Roli Tiwari Mishra पण्डित डॉ रोली तिवारी मिश्रा (@RoliTiwariMish1) February 17, 2023
राष्ट्रद्रोहियों,सनातन धर्मद्रोहियों,रामद्रोहियों के खिलाफ़ आवाज़ उठाती थी उठाती रहूँगी
सनातन धर्म के स्वाभिमान
प्रभु श्रीराम,श्रीरामचरितमानस के सम्मान के लिए ऐसे हज़ारों निष्कासन स्वीकार#धर्मो_रक्षति_रक्षितः pic.twitter.com/2qUMkwkXFO
The Background of the Controversy
Last month, Samajwadi Party MLC Swami Prasad Maurya and nine others were booked for instigating people to burn the pages of the Ramcharitmanas written by poet and saint Tulsidas in the Vrindavan Yojana of the PGI Kotwali area of Lucknow.
Maurya, while speaking to a news channel on January 22 claimed that certain portions of the Ramcharitmanas “insult” a large section of society on the basis of caste and demanded that these be “banned”.
He said that the book was written by Tulsidas for his own pleasure and that it promoted social discrimination and hatred. Later on January 27, he also called Hindu seers ‘Aatanki’, ‘Mahashaitan’, and ‘Jallad’.
लखनऊ में रामचरित मानस की प्रतियां जलाई जा रहीं हैं । इससे ज्यादा आजादी की कल्पना शायद कभी किसी ने की ही नही होगी । pic.twitter.com/imaH7u6WWV
— MANISH PANDEY (@ManishPandeyLKW) January 29, 2023
On January 29, Akhil Bharatiya OBC Mahasabha burnt the copies of Ramcharitmanas written by poet and saint Tulsidas in the Vrindavan Yojana of the PGI Kotwali area of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
The OBC Mahasabha members announced their support to Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya who stirred controversy by saying that the Ramcharitmanas should be banned.
Dr Roli Tiwari Mishra and Dr Richa Singh had openly raised their voices against party MLC Swami Prasad Maurya for instigating people burn the pages of Hindu scripture. However, the duo was abused by SP leaders before being formally ousted from the party.