Uttar Pradesh’s political arena witnessed fresh acrimony Thursday, with SP spokesperson Ashutosh Verma lambasting the BJP for allegedly exploiting legal mechanisms against saints. The trigger: a sexual harassment complaint against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and associate, filed at Jhunsi police station by Tulsi Kunj resident Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj.
In an IANS interview, Verma charged: ‘Repeated calls to shield saints from politics have fallen on deaf ears. This self-styled sages’ government must mirror SP’s compassionate governance model.’
Verma spotlighted the 2013 Rambhadracharya episode at his Chitrakoot Divyang University, marred by claims of financial fraud—government funds allegedly siphoned for rooms—and relative appointments on plum posts. Post-2012 FIR after exhaustive inquiry, SP leadership, led by Mata Prasad Pandey and ministers, advocated mercy. ‘Admission of fault warrants exemption from judicial dragnet,’ they posited, leading to CM-orchestrated case closure.
Pivoting to praise, Verma hailed Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal initiative: government employment for families of BLOs lost in SIR duties. ‘Exemplary compassion for the vulnerable, affirming a CM’s unwavering support for staff families.’
As the Avimukteshwaranand probe unfolds, it amplifies debates on politicizing piety, positioning SP as the defender of dharma against BJP’s purported opportunism.