Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the FIR filed against Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, accusing the administration of acting with malicious intent to embarrass and humiliate the Hindu seer.
Addressing a press conference at the Samajwadi Party office in Lucknow, Yadav alleged that the Yogi Adityanath government has raked up a 20-year-old case to trouble the Shankaracharya.
“Our most revered Shankaracharya ji – what treatment is being meted out to him by the government? This exercise that you are witnessing these days – some people have suddenly set out to show respect,” he said.
His remarks came a day after the ADJ Rape and POCSO Special Court in Prayagraj directed police to file an FIR against Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati over the allegations of child sexual abuse levelled against him by one Ashutosh Brahmachari, a disciple of ‘Jagadguru’ Rambhadracharya.
“If the complainant is a disciple of another saint, then it was a mistake to withdraw a previously filed case,” Akhilesh remarked.
The SP chief claimed that the Shankaracharya was being targeted for protesting against the Yogi Adityanath government following the Magh Mela incident.
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“Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand sat on protest for several days despite the cold weather, but the administration did not treat him with respect. The entire incident appears to be motivated by political malice and the government has now lost its credibility among the public,” he said.
The SP boss accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of vitiating the atmosphere ahead of the elections. He also flagged several other issues, including alleged mismanagement and irregularities in various infrastructure projects.
Yadav also took a dig at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his proposed visit to Japan, and said, “He’s going to Japan, but not Kyoto.”