'If temple had powers, Ghori, Ghaznavi would not have come': Samajwadi Party leader's bizarre comments spark row

NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and Manjhanpur MLA Indrajeet Saroj has sparked a controversy following remarks he made about the role of temples and the alleged caste-based discrimination in ancient texts.

Speaking at an event organised by the Samajwadi Party on Ambedkar Jayanti, Saroj questioned the spiritual power of temples, connecting their perceived lack of strength against invaders.
"If the temples of India had power, then Muhammad-bin-Qasim would not have come, Mahmud Ghaznavi would not have come, and Muhammad Ghori would not have come to loot this country," Saroj remarked. "This means temples had no powers..."


He went on to suggest that the gods and goddesses worshipped in temples were not powerful enough to protect the country during these invasions.

"In 712 AD, Muhammad Bin Qasim came from Arabia and looted this land. Muhammad Ghori came here to loot as well. So what did the gods and goddesses of this country do? They should have cursed the Muslims. They should have turned into ashes, died, or become blind. This means something was lacking in their powers," he added.
Saroj also took aim at the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, alleging widespread injustice and atrocities. He criticised the handling of several issues, including the case of Ramjilal Suman and the murder of a Dalit man in Karchhana. "There is no law and order in Uttar Pradesh. We are witnessing injustice and atrocities on a large scale," Saroj said.
The SP leader also lashed out at Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, accusing her of aligning with the BJP. "Mayawati ji has surrendered before the BJP. She is now just an ally of the BJP. Today, the Bahujan Samaj Party no longer speaks for the 'Bahujans'," Saroj claimed.
In a separate line of criticism, Saroj took aim at the poet Tulsidas, known for his devotion to Lord Ram and his influential works, particularly the Ramcharitmanas. "Tulsidas wrote so much against so-called ‘fake Hindus’, but why didn’t he write anything good or bad about Muslims? He should have. He didn’t have the courage during the Mughal era. For us, he wrote plenty of negative things, and we keep reading all of it," Saroj remarked.
Later, Saroj attempted to clarify his earlier remarks on temples, stating that he was referring to the 'temple of power'. "I had said there is great strength in the 'temple of power'. This is why saints and monks are eager to acquire political power," he explained.
"Foreign Muslim invaders looted temples, and the gods should have punished them so they could never return to their land. People like Muhammad-bin-Qasim, Muhammad Ghori, and Babur looted this country – what were the gods doing at that time?"