LUCKNOW: The controversy created around Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand during the recently-concluded Magh Mela is far from over and even went a step further with Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, in a purported gesture of atonement for the police action on the disciples of the seer, worshipped Brahmin Batuks here on Thursday.
Pathak invited 101 Batuks (budding brahmin disciples of Sanatan learning vedic rituals) to his official residence in the state capital on Thursday morning. Along with wife Namrata Pathak, the deputy CM applied tilak to all Batuks and worshipped them with folded hands while showering them with petals.
During this exercise, the Batuks chanted Vedic mantras. As per the Sanatan tradition, the chant of Vedic mantras by a Batuk is considered to be pure and auspicious. Feeding or honouring Batuks during rituals is believed to bring spiritual merit and divine blessings to devotees.
It may be recalled that on the day of Mauni Amavasya Mahasnan at the Prayagraj Magh Mela, on January 18, this year, police had grabbed and dragged Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand's disciples by the tuft on their head and thrashed them as they were refusing to follow the administration’s instructions. The matter escalated after the video of police action surfaced on social media. In fact, the police action came after the seer refused to go for bathing on foot and was adamant at going in his palanquin.
The administration, in the wake of huge rush of devotees, did not allow it. This led the seer to sit on protest along with his disciples.
While UP CM Yogi Adityanath criticized the behaviour of Avimukteshwaranand on the floor of state assembly saying it was unbecoming of a seer to create such a ruckus at a place witnessing rush of 4.5 crore devotees, Deputy CM Keshav Maurya, taking a different stand, had requested the seer through the media to relinquish his protest and take the holy dip in Sangam.
Meanwhile, the other Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, however, remained tight-lipped over the controversy all this long.
However, two days back, at an event, he disapproved the grabbing of batuks by their tuft by the cops saying: “The cops should not have pulled the ‘choti’ of Batuks. There could have been other means to stop them from moving against the administration orders, lathi charge could have been an option but dragging them by choti was unfair.”
He added that whoever was guilty, strict action should be taken against them. Pulling hair was a great crime incurring a great sin, said Pathak.
However, he had not mentioned Shankaracharya's name. As such, this step by the Deputy CM is being seen as an attempt at controlling the damage to the image of the state dispensation in the Brahmin community which is believed to be miffed over it. Yogi, in his discourse in state Assembly on February 13, had said that not everyone could claim himself to be the Shankaracharya. “No one is above the law. Not even me. I believe every person in India should follow the law. If SP people want to worship him (Avimukteshwaranand), let them worship.”
He added that an issue that was not there in the Magh Mela was deliberately made into one. “Will every person roam around the entire state becoming Chief Minister? Will someone roam around putting up a minister's board? Will someone roam around becoming SP's president? No... There is a system, there is a process. Similar process is there in Sanatan as well,” he had averred.
Actually, the Brahmin community in UP is said to be upset over the newly introduced UGC norms as well. Pathak hails from Brahmin community and he had been under attack for maintaining silence on both issues so far. As per the political experts, Thursday’s event was carried out to send a message to the Brahmin community. It the sources are to be believed, Pathak undertook this exercise only after taking the central leadership into confidence.