'...aren't they terrorists?': SP's Swami Prasad Maurya on 'slit neck' threat

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 27 : Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Swami Prasad Maurya on Friday triggered a fresh row, calling Hindu seers 'terrorists' and 'devils'.
Speaking to ANI on Friday, Maurya said, "Those who threatened to slit my neck and tongue were seers or were from a particular caste. Had the same threat been made by a person belonging to some other religion, he would have been called a terrorist. Are the seers threatening to slit my tongue and neck not terrorists devils, and executioners? If they had, indeed, believed in the religion that they claim to espouse, they couldn't have said such things."
Earlier this month, the SP leader sparked a major controversy after he demanded the deletion of "insulting comments and sarcasm" targeted at particular castes and sects in Ramcharitmanas, a poem based on the epic Ramayana.
Speaking to ANI, the former BJP leader had said, "I don't have any issue with Ramcharitramanas but parts of it have insulting comments and sarcasm directed at particular castes and sects. Those should be removed."
Maurya further claimed that in the Ramcharitmanas, which was composed by Tulsidas, there are words hurting the sentiments of the Dalit community.
"The government should take effective action and show sensitivity. It should see that the sentiments of any community are not hurt," he added.
While Maurya's remarks gave fresh ammunition to the BJP, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav distanced himself from the remark.
An FIR was filed against the former Cabinet minister over his remark.
The case against Maurya was filed at the Hazratganj police station for allegedly outraging religious feelings with his remark.
Maurya left the ruling BJP last year, in January, and joined the SP ahead of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.