Congress heavyweight Pawan Khera lit a political fuse in New Delhi on Monday, railing against the central government’s mishandling of religious affairs. As AICC media head, he described a country mired in mismanagement, with faith exploited for electoral gains.
Khera honed in on the Mahakumbh fiasco, where time-honored Shahi Snan traditions – resilient against Mughal and British interference – faced modern obstruction. Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand was allegedly denied his rightful procession.
The disparity stung: Bhagwat’s elite Z-plus guard and 50-vehicle escort versus the saint’s humiliation. ‘Are they equating RSS chiefs above spiritual giants?’ Khera challenged.
He condemned VIP corridors for the powerful, while pilgrims and ascetics endured abuse, including violent handling of disciples. ‘Spirituality reduced to commerce,’ Khera lamented, with politics hiding behind piety for profit.
Citing parallels, he evoked Odisha’s provocative protests and Rajasthan’s lingering Udaipur tragedy, where promises faded. ‘BJP serves neither duty nor divinity – only dominance and dollars,’ he asserted.
The Shankaracharya’s defiant fast, brushed off by authorities deploying digital warriors, prompted Khera’s credo: ‘Monarchs kneel to mahants.’ Without redress, the regime risks being called ‘Dhani-tantra’ devotees, not Sanatan upholders.
Khera’s salvo reflects Congress’s bid to expose BJP’s contradictions, rallying around cultural authenticity in a charged pre-election atmosphere.