Shivpal Tells UP Deputy CM: ‘Resign If You Feel So Strongly’

Lucknow, Feb 18 (PTI) Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav on Wednesday took a swipe at Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak over his remarks on the alleged pulling of a priest’s ‘choti’ during the Magh Mela in Prayagraj, and demanded his resignation if he felt so strongly about the issue.

The exchange comes amid the continuing controversy over an incident during the Magh Mela in Prayagraj involving Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati.

Pathak had on Tuesday told reporters that pulling someone’s ‘choti’ was a “grave sin” and that those who touched it would incur sin, remarks that drew sharp reactions from the opposition.

Speaking to reporters in Lucknow on Wednesday, Yadav said Pathak was part of the same government and the cabinet. “If he felt so bad about the incident, he should resign immediately. He, too, will incur sin because he is a member of the same cabinet. The insult happened under that government,” he said.

The controversy relates to January 18, when, on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya during the Magh Mela, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati was stopped by police while heading towards the Sangam on a palanquin for a holy dip. The seer had alleged that he was prevented from taking the dip and that the ‘choti’ of Batuk Brahmins accompanying him was pulled.

He had also shown photographs of police personnel, accusing them of misbehaviour, and claimed the incident took place in the presence of senior officials.

However, district authorities, including the commissioner and other officials, had maintained that the seer arrived at the Sangam on a chariot with around 200 followers at a time when heavy crowds and fog between 1 am and 10 am made such movement risky. They said he was requested to alight from the vehicle and proceed on foot in view of safety considerations but he was unwilling to do so.

Earlier on February 13, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath broke his silence on the issue in the Assembly, saying not everyone could use the title of ‘Shankaracharya’ and that such a position was conferred through due religious process and recognition. Referring to the massive turnout of devotees on Mauni Amavasya, he said the law was equal for all and no one was above it, not even the chief minister.

On Sunday, in an apparent attack on Chief Minister Adityanath, SP president Akhilesh Yadav accused him of insulting a revered Shankaracharya.

“We stand with Shankaracharya ji,” Akhilesh Yadav said without taking names. He further claimed that attempts were being made to question traditions and seek “certificates” from others.

The Magh Mela incident has since triggered political sparring between the ruling BJP and the opposition parties in the state. 

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)