NEW DELHI: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday appeared not to be in tune with Shankaracharya of Dwaraka-Sharda Peeth Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati’s unwarranted remark on the entry of women in the Shani Shingnapur temple.
He, however, avoided making any comment on the same.
“Politely disagree with views expressed by Swami Swaroopanand ji that women entry in Shani Shingnapur will bring ill luck to them and give rise to crimes against them; and attributing drought situation in Maharashtra to Shirdi Sai baba worship,” Naidu tweeted.
With women being allowed to worship in the inner sanctum of the Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati had yesterday said that this would result in increase of rape incidents.
"Women entered Shani temple's inner sanctum. The women are worshipping Shani in the temple. By doing so, Shani's eyes would fall on women and this would result in increase of rape incidents," Swaroopanand Saraswati told ANI.
He had also said that worshipping the 'unworthy' Sai Baba is the reason for the present drought-like situation in Maharashtra.
"Sai is not worthy of worshipping. People are putting the idols of Hanuman and Ganesh on the legs of Sai. And this is happening extensively in Maharashtra. Wherever these kinds of things take place, such calamities take place," Swaroopanand Saraswati told ANI.
"The result of this has caused this havoc in Maharashtra. Sai Baba is revered in Maharashtra especially Shirdi. That's why drought has occurred. Worshipping Sai would not give relief to situations like this. Sai worshipping should be stopped and instead Ganesh should be worshipped," he added.