New Delhi: Samajwadi Party leader Shivraj Singh Yadav sparked controversy with his “Yadavs are not Hindus” comment as he slammed the caste system and criticised how it puts Shudras at the bottom of the hierarchy.
He rejected the Hindu identity due to the caste-based discrimination in Hindu texts, citing the scripture, Manusmriti.
“I do not follow a religion that treats a human being as lower than a dog,” he said.
Yadav, a close aide of Akhilesh Yadav, was addressing a public meeting called “PDA Patshala” in the Dandiyamai village of Sirsaganj Assembly Constituency in Uttar Pradesh, an event for Dalits, backward classes, and minorities.
“Brahmin, we are not. Kshatriya, we are not. Vaishya, we are not. Now, which one is left? Shudra.”
“So if we are Hindus, I’m just saying, because being Hindu is not mandatory. Like I say on every platform, I am not Hindu. I am Shivraj Singh Yadav, and I am a human. I am not Hindu. Because the religion that makes a human lower than a dog, I don’t follow that religion at all, never,” he added.
Yadav alleged that the current BJP-led central government has organised the most atrocities against Dalits and backward classes.
He further explained the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) concept, stating that nearly 90 per cent of the population, which is comprised of Dalits, backward classes and minorities, are constantly overpowered and excluded, while a small group controls the system.
Several leaders from the Yadav community have publicly distanced themselves from the Hindu identity, different to the Dalits themselves, who reject the religion through conversions to Buddhism, Christianity or Islam.
The socialist party is known for accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of being anti-Dalit and anti-backwards class, with Akhilesh Yadav also claiming that there has been an apparent rise in atrocities under the government.
Meanwhile, BJP Andhra Pradesh spokesperson Dr Vinusha Reddy accused Yadav of taking part in identity politics “to break Hindu unity.” He said that the party’s remarks showed where its vote bank is, for which the party “would do anything.”
Shivraj Singh Yadav later issued a clarification, denying that he said he was not a Hindu, and said the virality of the comment was a “BJP conspiracy.”
“I never said that I am Yadav but not a Hindu. I will take them (the BJP) to court in this matter. The viral video is part of BJP’s conspiracy. When BJP sees that its secrets are being exposed, they resort to such tactics to set a narrative like this…”
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