Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and UP CM Yogi Adityanath (Images/Agencies)
NEW DELHI: Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati on Friday asked Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath to stop beef exports from the state and declare the cow as ‘Rajya Mata’. He stated that such steps would prove the chief minister’s commitment as a “Hindu sympathiser”.The remarks come amid an ongoing controversy after the seer was allegedly prevented from taking a holy dip at the Sangam during the Magh Mela in Prayagraj earlier this month.Speaking to reporters in Varanasi, Swami Avimukteshwaranand said that he had staged a sit-in protest for 11 days after the incident but left the Magh Mela ground last Wednesday “with a heavy heart”. “When I sat there for 11 days, no official asked me to take a dip. Now it is too late. I will go to the Magh Mela next year and take a respectful bath,” he said. Challenging the UP government, the seer said that stopping cow slaughter and beef exports should be the first step in demonstrating commitment to Hindu values. “Our credentials were asked for, and we submitted them. Now you have to give proof of being a Hindu sympathiser. The first step of being a Hindu is love for cows. Declare the cow as ‘Rashtra Mata’ and stop the export of cow meat from Uttar Pradesh,” he said. The controversy dates back to January 18, when Swami Avimukteshwaranand was travelling in a palanquin to the Sangam on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya. A dispute broke out after police and administrative officials asked him to dismount and proceed on foot, citing heavy crowds. The Mela administration later alleged that his supporters broke a barricade on a pontoon bridge, creating difficulties in crowd management.Following the incident, the seer began a sit-in protest outside the Shankaracharya camp, demanding an apology and a dignified escort for the ritual bath. He later announced that he would not take a dip until the administration apologised for misbehaviour towards him and his followers.Amid the row, the Mela administration issued a notice seeking an explanation on his use of the title of Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth, citing a civil appeal pending before the Supreme Court. The seer hit back, questioning how camps of two Shankaracharyas from Puri were allowed at the same mela.The issue has since triggered political and administrative reactions. Prashant Kumar Singh, a deputy commissioner in the Uttar Pradesh GST department posted in Ayodhya, resigned from service citing moral reasons and said that he was hurt by baseless allegations against the chief minister and the prime minister by the seer. Bareilly city magistrate Alankar Agnihotri also resigned, citing concerns over the alleged insult to Swami Avimukteshwaranand and broader social issues.The Congress has announced an awareness campaign against the insult of the Shankaracharya. Party leaders have accused the state administration of insensitivity and demanded that the governor take suo motu cognisance of the matter and initiate action.