On Sunday (12th November), Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya stirred a controversy by insulting Goddess Lakshmi on the festival of Diwali. Criticizing Sanatan Dharma for worshipping Goddess Lakshmi on Diwali, Maurya argued on Twitter (X) saying that Goddess Lakshmi can never have four hands. He refused to worship Goddess Lakshmi and worshipped his wife on the occasion of Diwali instead.
“If all children born in the world have two hands, two feet, two ears, and two eyes, how can Goddess Lakshmi have four hands? On the occasion of the festival of lights, while worshipping and honouring my wife, I want to emphasize that every child born in the world, regardless of religion, caste, race, colour, or country, is born with two hands, two feet, two ears, two eyes, a nose with two nostrils, and one head, stomach, and back,” he tweeted.
“A child with four hands, eight hands, ten hands, twenty hands, or a thousand hands has never been born. So how can a four-handed Lakshmi be born? If you truly want to worship Goddess Lakshmi, honour and worship the women in your households who are the true embodiment of the goddess. They faithfully fulfil the responsibilities of nurturing and caring for the family’s well-being, prosperity, sustenance, and overall welfare,” he added.
The Samajwadi Party leader who is known for making contentious remarks about Lord Rama, the Ramcharitmanas, and Brahmins, was massively criticized by the netizens for insulting Goddess Lakshmi and worshipping his wife instead.
One user commented, “Before worshipping your wife, you should worship your mother. However, as soon as someone abandons Hinduism, they forget their values, neglect their upbringing, and even forget their parents.”
Meanwhile, other users slammed Maurya for applying Sindoor to his wife while worshipping her like a Goddess. “Sindoor is part of Sanatan Dharma which you keep on insulting now and then. Also, why haven’t you posted a picture of you touching her feet out of respect? Where did you get this double standard from,” the user said on X.
Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam also commented on Maurya’s statement and said, “Swami Prasad Maurya has got piles in his mouth. He needs treatment. I will ask Yogi Adityanath to put a ban on Maurya speaking.”
Hinduphobic antecedents of Swami Prasad Maurya
It is important to note that Swami Prasad Maurya had previously made controversial statements about Lord Rama and the Ramcharitmanas, causing a significant uproar. In January 2023, Maurya sparked a 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. Maurya further claimed that in the Ramcharitmanas, which was composed by Tulsidas, words are hurting the sentiments of the Dalit community.
Further, in August 2023, Maurya insulted the Hindu religion by saying that Hinduism is not a religion at all. The SP leader branded Hinduism as a hoax, one that is ‘trapping’ tribals, Dalits, and backward communities.
Swami Prasad Maurya is a member of the 17th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh in addition to being a member of the Samajwadi Party. Maurya, who was born in Pratapgarh on January 2, 1954, has tied the knot to Shiva Maurya. The couple is parents to two kids. Sanghmitra, the daughter of Maurya, is a BJP member of parliament for Badaun. Maurya is a member of the Other Backward Class (OBC). He obtained his Bachelor of Laws and Master of Arts degrees from Allahabad University (LLB).