UP Congress leader Pandit Ganga Ram Sharma announces bounty on SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya

In another political low, a Congress leader on Tuesday (29 August) issued a threat of physical harm against controversial Samajwadi Party General Secretary Swami Prasad Maurya for constantly making vitriolic remarks against Hinduism. 

Pandit Ganga Ram Sharma, a district Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad unit has reportedly announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh as a bounty against SP’s motormouth leader Swami Prasad Maurya. As per media reports, the Congress leader has claimed to give money to anyone who will ‘cut off the tongue’ of the senior SP functionary as he has been repeatedly passing incendiary and slandering remarks against Hinduism.  

As per a report in India Today, Pandit Ganga Ram Sharma is the district chairman of Congress’s Human Rights Department in Moradabad. The report adds that Congress leader Sharma has accused Maurya of insulting Hinduism and slandering the religious book Ramcharitmanas. Hurt by Maurya’s act, he reportedly issued a press note on Tuesday saying that Swami Prasad Maurya is not only insulting Tulsidas’ Ram Charit Manas but also the Hindu religion. 

मुरादाबाद: कांग्रेस नेता पंडित गंगा राम शर्मा ने रामचरितमानस पर सपा नेता स्वामी प्रसाद मौर्य द्वारा की गई टिप्पणी के बाद उनकी जीभ काटकर लाने वाले को 10 लाख रुपये नगद इनाम देने की घोषणा की है। सोशल मीडिया पर कांग्रेस नेता का पत्र हुआ वायरल। #Congress #SwamiPrasadMaurya pic.twitter.com/OfClRGv5R9

— UP Tak (@UPTakOfficial) August 30, 2023

His letter calling out violence against the SP leader and announcing a reward for the same has gone viral on social media. 

However, the Congress party has distanced itself from their Sharma’s controversial statement. Responding to the development, Congress District President Aslam Khurshid said that the statement of the Congress leader Sharma is his personal remark and the party has nothing to do with it. 

Meanwhile, another local leader announced that he would give a reward for thrashing SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya. While speaking to the media, State General Secretary of Shiv Sena and Kranti Sena Manoj Saini stated that they will give 1100 rupees to the one who will hit Swami Prasad Maurya with shoes.

“स्वामी प्रसाद मौर्य को जो जूते मारेगा, उसे हम 1100 रुपए देंगे”

◆ शिवसेना और क्रांति सेना के प्रदेश महासचिव मनोज सैनी का बयान #SwamiPrasadMaurya | #ManojSaini pic.twitter.com/QfjXexhpCk

— News24 (@news24tvchannel) August 30, 2023

Meanwhile, Swami Prasad Maurya has been repeatedly courting controversy for launching an abominable tirade against Hinduism. After spearheading a hateful campaign against Ramcharitmanas, on 27 August, SP leader Maurya made a vitriolic statement against Hinduism stating that Hinduism is not a religion but a hoax. He also equated the Hindu religion with an oppressive trap.  

When the controversy escalated, the Samajwadi Party tried distancing itself from the slandering remarks of their General Secretary Maurya. Apparently, on Monday (28 August), SP leader Manoj Kumar Pandey claimed that Maurya’s statements do not reflect the stance of the party. Going further, he lambasted his senior party functionary Maurya for using religion to “revive his political career.”