Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati leaves from the ongoing 'Magh Mela' festival, in Prayagraj (Source: PTI)
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav launched into a diatribe against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, January 28, accusing it of hurting Sanatan traditions after Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati left the Magh Mela in Prayagraj without taking a holy dip at the Sangam.
The seer left the fair ground “with a heavy heart”, ending his sit-in protest outside the Shankaracharya camp since January 18 over allegedly being prevented by the local administration from taking a holy dip at the Sangam — the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati river — on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.
In a post on X, Yadav said the BJP’s “arrogance” broke a tradition that has continued since time immemorial. “Jagadguru Shankaracharya ji leaving the Magh Mela on the sacred land of Prayagraj without taking a holy bath is an extremely ominous incident,” he said.
The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister claimed the entire Sanatan community was not only hurt but also gripped by a sense of fear. “The global Sanatan society is deeply pained and filled with an uncertain sense of apprehension,” he said.
Yadav alleged that the ruling party could have acted differently, but it was “blinded by power”.
“If the BJP and its associates wanted, they could have shed the arrogance of power, carried him on their shoulders and ensured his sacred bath at the Triveni Sangam, thereby upholding his honour,” he said. “The BJP is intoxicated with the pride of power acquired through corrupt means, which is stopping it from doing so.”
The Samajwadi Party chief said hurting saints could never bring well-being. “No one can attain happiness by hurting the hearts of saints. A bigger mistake than committing an error is not seeking forgiveness,” he said, adding that “no political post can be greater than the honour of saints”.
Taking a swipe at the ruling party’s claims on religion, Yadav said, “The BJP is not even truly aligned with Sanatan. Today, every Sanatani is deeply distressed.”
Invoking religious texts, he warned of consequences for the development involving the seer. “Do those who create obstacles in religious rituals need to be told what they are called? Our epics clearly state that no wrongdoer ever escapes the punishment of arrogance,” he said.
Yadav concluded the post with the message: “Hurt saints mean the end of power.”
On January 18, Swami Avimukteshwaranand was riding a palanquin to the Sangam on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, when a dispute broke out as administrative and police officials asked him to dismount and proceed for the ritual bath on foot, citing heavy crowds.
The Mela administration alleged that the Shankaracharya and his supporters broke a barricade on a pontoon bridge and moved towards the ghats, creating serious difficulties for the police in managing the situation.
Following the incident, there was an exchange of allegations between Swami Avimukteshwaranand and the police administration, and he ultimately left the Magh Mela on Wednesday without taking the holy dip.
This post was last modified on January 28, 2026 7:20 pm