Samajwadi Party National President Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday sought a probe into what he described as “attempts to compare Hindu Gods to divide Sanatanis”. He said it was necessary to investigate who was conspiring to disturb social harmony among Sanatan followers and whether the alleged conspiracy was being orchestrated by external or internal forces. Objecting to what he described as an intentionally insulting comparison between two revered incarnations, Akhilesh said portraying one incarnation as superior was part of a larger conspiracy. He said the community had been deeply hurt by the comparison and that he did not wish to aggravate the sentiments by repeatedly mentioning the names of the revered figures. “Both the ‘Lok-Rakshak’ (protector of the people) and ‘Lok-Ranjak’ (one who brings joy to the people) were incarnations of the same divine entity, with their respective divine acts unfolding according to the circumstances and requirements of their times,” he said.
Describing the remarks as an act of blasphemy, he said political parties and their supporters had also come together in condemning the statements.