BJP insulted Ramcharitmanas with lathicharge on lawyer: SP chief

Lucknow: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised BJP govt on Tuesday over the alleged lathicharge on an advocate carrying a copy of the Ramcharitmanas and said it shows govt’s “anti-Sanatan thinking”.

In a post on X, Akhilesh said the manner in which police assaulted the advocate holding the Ramcharitmanas was “highly condemnable” and amounted to an insult to the religious and cultural values associated with the revered Hindu scripture.

On Akhilesh’s directive, some SP functionaries met the injured advocate in the hospital, enquired about his well-being and presented him a copy of Ramcharitmanas. The SP chief praised party workers for standing with the advocate and supporting what he described as “respect for religion and humanity”.

Akhilesh appealed to “true followers of religion” and seers associated with the BJP to expose its “religious hypocrisy”. He alleged that BJP uses religion as a political tool to create social divisions and spread communal tension for electoral gains.

Ending his post with a political slogan, Akhilesh wrote: “Remove BJP, save religion and save the nation,” while asserting that “today’s religion does not want BJP.