Mathura (UP), Nov 15 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary has attacked senior Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya over his comment on Goddess Lakshmi, saying the opposition leader appears to be deranged and needs to be examined.

Maurya courted controversy on Sunday by questioning how Goddess Lakshmi can have four hands. Taking an apparent dislike to what he said, Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesperson IP Singh asked him to stop harming the party.

Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, Chaudhary said, 'Since the SP leader appears to be deranged ('vikshipt') and needs mental examination, it is my advice to the national president of the SP to get Maurya examined either in Bareilly or in Agra.' Chaudhary and Maurya had previously worked together in the Lok Dal and then in the Bahujan Samaj Party-led government in Uttar Pradesh.

On the assembly elections this month, Chaudhary said the BJP will form governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

'Owing to the Modi wave, the outcome of the elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh will be in favour of the BJP,' he said.

Before his comment on Goddess Lakshmi, Swami Prasad Maurya had triggered a row with his controversial remarks on Ramcharitmanas and the Badrinath shrine.

In a post on 'X' on Sunday, Maurya said he worshipped his wife on Diwali as she is in a true sense a 'Devi'.

'... every child born in every religion, caste, race, colour and country of the whole world has two hands, two legs, two ears, two eyes and a nose with two holes. There is only one head, stomach and back; if a child with four hands, eight hands, ten hands, twenty hands and a thousand hands has not been born till date, then how can Lakshmi be born with four hands,' he asked.

'If you want to worship Goddess Lakshmi, then worship and respect your wife who is a goddess in a true sense because she fulfils the responsibility of nurturing, happiness, prosperity, food and care of your family with great devotion,' read his post. PTI COR NAV IJT IJT