Varanasi: Extending support to Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati whose authority as Shankaracharya was challenged by Prayagraj administration, UP Congress Committee chief Ajay Rai alleged the seer was being harassed by BJP-led govts at Centre and state, even as he raised voice for cow protection.After offering rituals at a cattle shed in Ishwargangi area on Thursday, he attacked BJP, saying that by insulting the seer, it was proved that UP govt was anti-Sanatan. “Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati showed the path of knowledge, values and dharma to society all his life, but now he is being asked to prove his credentials as Shankaracharya, which is shameful for the entire Sanatan community,” said Rai. He added that compelling a seer like him to hold hunger strike in order to protect honour and existence of the Shankaracharya seat and Sanatan dharma was unfortunate. Condemning assault on elderly saints and Batuks, Rai said, “BJP claims to be the protector of cow and Sanatan, while Uttar Pradesh has emerged as biggest exporter of beef. Congress will keep highlighting the contradiction between the claims and deeds of the BJP by standing firmly with the seer in his struggle, exposing its anti-Sanatan face.“Rai also targeted BJP govt on Manikarnika Ghat, alleging that original soul of the sacred ghat was damaged in the name of modernisation, despite the place being known as a centre of faith of Sanatan dharma across the world and a pilgrimage site considered the gateway to moksha. He challenged govt to show the idols to prove they were not broken as also to prove the chief minister’s claims that video of the idols’ destruction was AI-generated.Party’s city chief Raghavendra Chaube, along with members Satnam Singh, Manish Moroliya, Chanchal Sharma, Vijay Deval, Hasan Mehdi Kabban and Narsingh Das Verma were also present.
