Bengaluru: There were reports that the Samajwadi Party would install the statues of Lord Parashuram in every district of Uttar Pradesh in a bid to woo voters in the wake elections in 2022. 

But such a move has obviously hurt Hindus saints and seers. 

 

The Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), the apex body of saints and seers, has not taken kindly to the move. 

ABAP president Mahant Narendra Giri, as reported by a popular website, said, "This is a conspiracy to weaken the Sanatan Dharma and Hindu society. Gods and goddesses are same for all and any attempt to link them with a particular caste is incorrect. Maharishi Parashuram is considered an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and is not just a Brahmin icon."

"The people should stand united and oppose the forces dividing the society so that the traditions of Sanatan Dharma are preserved. The Akhara Parishad will strongly oppose the forces dividing the Sanatan Samaj and will launch a campaign among people," the website further added. 

On the issue of bhumi pujan on Ayodhya in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated, he said, "It seems some people are not happy with this development and are dividing deities along caste lines for their political benefits. We will give a befitting reply to these forces trying to weaken Hindu society.” 

 

Well, it was not just Samawadi Party which came up with such a proposal. Even the Bahujan Samajwadi Party said it would build a temple once it came to power, apart from erecting such a statue of Lord Parashuram. 

The strategy to woo Brahmins came into being after the encounter of Vikas Dubey while he was being brought back to Uttar Pradesh. He was a gangster who was a Brahmin. 

But the Yogi Adityanath government has always adhered to secular principles, though it has faced allegations of casteism over the encounter.