New Delhi, Jan 19: The Congress on Monday criticised the mistreatment meted out to Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand at the Prayagraj Magh Mela and not allowing him to take the traditional royal bath and accused the BJP government of sheer hypocrisy, alleging that it insults Hindu saints while projecting itself as the protector of the faith.
Addressing a press conference here at thr omd party headquarters, Congress chairman of the media and publicity department Pawan Khera said the incident exposed the BJP’s “duplicity”.
He alleged that a centuries-old tradition – observed even during Mughal and British rule – was disrupted under the present government.
The Congress leader said that the BJP was “neither for work nor for Ram,” and was driven only by power and money.
Khera played a video showing a clash between the supporters of the Shankaracharya and the police, and alleged that his disciples were assaulted and that he was not allowed to proceed in a palanquin for the Mauni Amavasya royal bath, an unbroken religious tradition.
He dubbed the incident a betrayal of faith and said the government was “biting the hand that feeds it.”
The Congress leader also alleged that the Shankaracharya was being targeted for questioning the government on issues such as the consecration of an incomplete Ram temple in Ayodhya, the mismanagement at the Mahakumbh and bodies floating in the Ganga during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Drawing a comparison, Khera questioned why RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was accorded Z-plus security while the Shankaracharya and his followers faced restrictions and force. He asked whether the BJP considered Bhagwat to be a bigger religious leader than Shankaracharya.
Responding to a question about the Shankaracharya publicly expressing fear for his safety and suspecting a possible conspiracy under the guise of a stampede, Khera said it was alarming that a senior Hindu saint did not feel secure in a state governed by a “triple-engine government”.
Khera added that the Shankaracharya had gone on an indefinite fast in protest against the incident, yet the government had shown no sensitivity or urgency. He alleged that a coordinated troll campaign was being run against the seer for questioning the government, and demanded the Prime Minister’s immediate intervention and an apology to the saint community.
The Congress leader also criticised the Yogi government over the vandalism of the statue of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar in Varanasi and Chief Minister’s claim that visuals of the damaged statue were AI-generated.
Khera said that it was not artificial intelligence, but the government’s “shamelessness.”
Khera further criticised the Centre over the Kanhaiya Lal murder case in Udaipur, stating that while the then Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan had acted promptly and handed the case over to the NIA, the Central government had failed to secure justice even after 12 years in power.
He also recalled that during the Mahakumbh, special arrangements were made for wealthy and influential people. He said that for the BJP, faith is business and business itself is its faith, adding that the party uses religion as a political shield while ordinary devotees were neglected.
