Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati criticises CM Yogi’s Assembly remarks

Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati has strongly criticised the statement made by Yogi Adityanath in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, calling it objectionable and an interference in religious matters.

Reacting on Saturday, the Shankaracharya said the Chief Minister’s remarks implied that only those recognised by him could be called Shankaracharya. He asserted that there is no such provision in the country’s laws authorising any Chief Minister to decide who can hold the religious title.

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He questioned the appropriateness of such remarks being made in the Assembly, which he described as the “temple of democracy,” and asked whether the government or the Bharatiya Janata Party would now decide religious positions like Shankaracharya.

Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati further alleged that the Chief Minister had publicly endorsed another religious figure as Shankaracharya despite court restrictions. He claimed that both the Supreme Court of India and lower courts had barred that individual from presenting himself as Shankaracharya, yet he continued to use the title.

Calling the Chief Minister’s stance “arrogance and interference in the religious sphere,” he also alleged that cases against the Chief Minister were withdrawn after he assumed office, adding that “truth never remains hidden.”

Describing the Chief Minister’s Assembly statement as baseless, he said the tradition of Shankaracharyas taking holy dips in the Kumbh Mela and Magh Mela has continued since ancient times and has always been carried out according to established religious decorum.

He also questioned claims about fears of stampedes, stating that no such complaints had been made against him during his tenure.