In a blistering critique, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has accused the Uttar Pradesh BJP government of orchestrating a smear campaign against Jyotirmath Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati. The controversy stems from an FIR registered under child sexual abuse charges, revived after 20 years on judicial directive.
During a packed press meet at SP Bhavan in Lucknow, Akhilesh decried the timing and motive. ‘They’re digging up ancient complaints to insult a saint. If the complainant is a disciple of another seer, I regret withdrawing a prior case against them,’ he remarked pointedly.
Details of the FIR reveal accusations against the Shankaracharya, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari, and others. Akhilesh connected the dots to the Shankaracharya’s recent ordeal at Prayagraj’s Magh Mela. Prevented from Ganga snan in biting cold, he staged a prolonged protest, only to face further ignominy.
‘This reeks of political malice. The BJP is losing public trust,’ Akhilesh asserted. He highlighted BJP affiliates’ roles in previous temple vandalism cases involving meat tossing, resulting in jail terms. Warning against social media misinformation with doctored clips, he called for public awareness.
Shifting to governance lapses, Akhilesh lambasted the ballooning costs of water pipelines, labeling them corrupt conduits. He touted his administration’s river rejuvenation efforts on Gomti and Hindon, now abandoned. Taunting Yogi’s Japan itinerary—’Japan yes, Kyoto no’—Akhilesh invoked Karna to underscore inequities in policy-making.
As elections loom, Akhilesh declared the BJP’s mandate emotionally revoked. ‘People are biding time for the polls.’ His broadside positions SP as the defender of saints, development, and social harmony against a faltering regime.