As assembly elections are round the corner in the state of Madhya Pradesh, political parties and leaders are trying to cash in on the blessings of religious preachers.
The Congress, which is sitting in Opposition, is preparing to play host to Bageshwar Dham’s head priest Dhirendra Shastri in the village of Simariya in Chhindwara district from August 5 to 7. Chhindwara is the pocket borough of state Congress president Kamal Nath who is scheduled to attend the event along with his son Nakul.
The preachings of the 27-year-old Shastri, popularly known as “Bageshwar Baba”, are often laced with controversial overtones. He always champions the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra and has organised “Ghar Wapsi” events at Bageshwar Dham, his home base, in Chhatarpur district. Two months back, he was in Patna for giving religious sermons where he had pulled lakhs of devotees to his camps.
