Akhilesh Yadav has once again expressed his support for Shankaracharya and launched a sharp attack on the Yogi government. He stated that officials sending notices under government pressure do not want to be complicit in wrongdoing. Akhilesh emphasized that Shankaracharya must be respected, calling the prevention of his Ganga bath a grave injustice, for which the BJP government is responsible. He warned that the Samajwadi Party would stand with any saint or religious leader facing disrespect. In Lucknow, posters supporting Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand have been put up outside the Samajwadi Party office, with slogans like, “India will not tolerate disrespect to Shankaracharya.” These posters signal that the Samajwadi Party is fully backing Shankaracharya in the ongoing dispute with the administration. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut condemned the treatment of Shankaracharya and criticized the BJP. He pointed out that those who claim to uphold Hindutva should be concerned about this incident. The Uddhav Thackeray faction called it fake and self-serving Hindutva. The issue has now escalated into a political confrontation between the administration and opposition parties, highlighting the growing tensions over respect for religious leaders and the political use of Hindutva.

