RSS-Backed Unit Campaigns To Declare Ramcharitmanas As 'National Book'

Rashtriya Parv Evam Utsav Samiti has started a signature campaign demanding 'Ramcharitmanas' be declared as a 'national’ book.

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An RSS-backed unit Rashtriya Parv Evam Utsav Samiti has started a signature campaign demanding 'Ramcharitmanas' to be declared as a 'national’ book. The epic is based on Ramayana and composed by the poet Tulsidas.

The RSS-backed organisation in a statement said that the event was organised initially to throw light on the significance of the Hindu New Year and the significance of religion as a way of life, reported PTI.

The campaign was initiated on the first day of Chaitra Navratri, which marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year.

The move gains significance in light of contentious comments made by Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya, in which he claimed that several verses from the Ramcharitmanas were derogatory to particular groups in society, notably the backward classes, reported PTI. His remarks led to a huge controversy.

It should be mentioned that the Samajwadi Party's Upper caste MPs objected to Swami Prasad Maurya's comments and threatened to leave the party if no action was taken against him.

Several BJP officials and seers criticised Maurya for his comments on the Ramcharitmanas.

Jitan Ram Manjhi, a former Chief Minister of Bihar, also courted controversy over the remarks and said, “I have always held that Lord Rama is an imaginary figure and not a historical one."

UP Ministers To Recite Ramcharitmanas During Navratri

The ministers in the Yogi Adityanath government will join the recital of Durga Saptashati (Hindu religious text depicting the victory of Goddess Durga over demon Mahishasura) in all the prominent temples across Uttar Pradesh during the nine-day Chaitra Navratri.

Following the conclusion of Navratri on March 30, the ministers and BJP leaders would be seen reciting the "Akhand Ramayana Path" (uninterrupted recitation of Ramayana verses) on Ram Navami.

The Uttar Pradesh government's decision to organise recitation of 'Akhand Ramayana' is being viewed as a counter to Maurya's campaign to get some of the verses of Ramcharitramanas deleted which he claimed were "anti-women and anti-backward".