Maurya questions ‘Pran Pratishtha' ceremony at Ram temple

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party (SP) national general secretary Swami Prasad Maurya has now termed the proposed consecration (Pran Pratishtha) ceremony of Ram Lalla idol at Ram temple in Ayodhya a ‘sham’.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the ceremony on January 22, 2024.

“How can one give ‘pran’ (life) to the god who gives life to all of us? What is the point in doing Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram idol when crores of people have been worshipping him for thousands of years. This means that those who are saying they will carry out Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram are trying to project themselves as bigger than the god,” he said.

He also slammed Uttar Pradesh jail minister Dharmveer Prajapati and the state government over his statement that the undertrials lodged in prisons will “willingly” recite Hanuman Chalisa and Sundar Kand.

Maurya said: “It is against the spirit of the Constitution. It is not government’s job to promote religion. The government should just govern.”

On being questioned if he was making statements under a tacit understanding within the SP, Maurya dismissed the speculations and said: “Samajwadi Party is struggling for the Pichada, Dalits, Alpsankhyak (PDA) and so am I.”

Maurya has been hitting headlines at regular intervals with his statements against Hindu religion and Hindu deities.