New Delhi: The Jyotishmath Shankaracharya, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, has alleged that there is “bhay ka mahaul” or an “an atmosphere of fear in the country right now, democracy is not being allowed to function.” He levelled a serious allegation on the Varanasi mayor, saying that he personally has ensured that independent contestants do not make it to the ballot.
Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati told reporters in Rajasthan’s Alwar that in Varanasi, from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the sitting two-term MP and again standing for elections, a “gausevak candidate is being prevented from contesting elections”. One Shivakumar of Andhra Pradesh Police has filed his nomination in Varanasi. They are part of the Gomata alliance and are their official candidates.
The Shankaracharya said “their proposers are being intimidated by the administration. The Varanasi mayor there is knocking on the doors of the proposers at two o’clock in the night and pressuring them to withdraw the name from the proposer.”
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati hit out at the Modi government, BJP, Congress and other parties, reports ETV Bharat. He said that candidates have been fielded at many places in the country to protect cow mothers. To ban cow slaughter, five months ago, he said, “BJP, Congress, AAP and other big parties were asked to take oath, but no one paid heed to it.” The Shankarcharya was in the news when the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was about to take place and was very critical of the way invites were sent out, a partially-constructed temple was consecrated, and with a politician (PM Modi himself), not dharmacharyas conducting the ceremony.
He said that there is a need for “true Hindutva in the country and not political Hindutva”. “Those who speak the truth are opposed, we have also been abused by millions of people,” he added. News reports say he again alleged that the Ram temple in Ayodhya has not been consecrated, but an event has taken place. As “only 30 percent of the work of Ram temple in Ayodhya has been completed, due to which the consecration will be done only after the construction of the temple is completed there.”
Meanwhile in Varanasi, the question of trying to file one’s application as a contestant has been in the news with comedian and Modi-mimic Shyam Rangeela (29) first facing hurdles in filing his papers and then getting his candidature rejected. Rangeela, who shot to fame due to his ability to mimic Modi, said he was devastated by the returning officer’s decision to reject his nomination. “It was settled that they would not let me contest from Varanasi. Now, it has become clear. My heart is definitely broken but my spirit is not,” he said, referring to the alleged obstruction he faced in filing his nomination and its eventual rejection.