Samajwadi Party General Secretary and MLC Swami Prasad Maurya has claimed that Badrinath, Kedarnath and Jagannath Puri Dham were built by demolishing Buddhist monasteries.

“If the BJP people will find temples in every mosque, then Buddhists will find Buddhist monasteries in every temple, whose historical evidence is also present. That’s why it is better that every religious place should maintain the status of 15 August 1947,” he said while addressing a press conference here on Sunday.

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Maurya’s statement came in view of the demand for ASI survey of Gyanwapi mosque in Varanasi, which is pending before the Allahabad High Court.

However, the BJP has slammed the statement of Maurya and even the Samajwadi Party has distanced themselves from the issue. BSP chief Mayawati too has criticised Maurya for raking up such raking up controversy.

Maurya further attacking the BJP, said that the BJP raises the issue of Hindu and Muslim everyday under a conspiracy. The BJP is spreading discrimination in the society regarding temple-mosque whereas our Constitution teaches to respect all religions, he said.

“The BJP finds a temple in every mosque. A Buddhist monastery is established in every temple. Badrinath, Kedarnath were earlier Buddhist monasteries. Shankaracharya converted the Buddhist monastery and established Badrinath Dham,” Maurya said.

He added that the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand has objected to my statement. I want to tell them that everyone’s faith is the same.

SP leader Maurya said that in 1991 the Bill for the place of worship was also passed. There will be no change in any religious place except Ayodhya. He said that historian Charles Allen has also accepted that the Buddhist monastery has been converted into temples.

He said that it is better to accept the truth than to hide it. Respecting all religions will end the hatred of the society but he refused to comment on Mayawati’s statement. He said Mayawati has been his leader and he will not comment on her tweet.

BSP supremo Mayawati in her tweet on Sunday slammed SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya, saying that giving a statement that many temples including Badrinath were built by demolishing Buddhist monasteries and alleged that it is a purely political statement only giving rise to new controversies.

Mayawati said: “Maurya was a minister in the BJP government for a long time. Then why did he not put such pressure on the party or the government in this regard. Now creating such a religious dispute at the time of election is not his but it shows SP’s disgusting politics and nothing else.”

SP spokesperson Rajendra Choudhury said that the statement of Maurya was his personal views abd the party has nothing to do with it.