Lucknow: Describing Shankaracharya Swami Avimuktesharanand’s return from Magh mela pilgrimage without the holy dip at Sangam in Prayagraj as a first in the history of Sanatan tradition, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said it was all because of the BJP ego and arrogance.Akhilesh said Sanatanis of the entire world were not only hurt by the treatment meted out to Shankaracharya but also suspicious of an unknown fear because of the disruption in age old traditions. He described Swami Avimukteshwaranand’s retreat from Magh Mela as a ‘damaging incident’.“Nobody can be at peace after hurting seers and saints. Committing an error is a smaller sin than not making amends and not seeking pardon for such mistakes. No political post can be bigger than a saint or seer’s honour. BJP has proved that it is not committed to Sanatan. Today all Sanatanis are feeling hurt from within,” the former UP CM said. “BJP’s ego has shattered a Sanatani tradition that was being practised since times immemorial. Jagatguru Shankaracharya’s leaving the Magh mela without taking the holy dip (at Sangam) is a damaging incident. Sanatanis of the entire world are not only hurt but also apprehensive of an unknown fear,” Akhilesh said.The SP chief’s statement came hours after Shankaracharya Swami Avimuktesharanand ended his Prayagraj stay and left for Kashi after 10-day sit-in outside his camp to protest against state administration stopping his Palki (palanquin) from heading towards Sangam for Snan on Jan 18, 2026. “The BJP and its partners could have left their egos and arrogance aside and respectfully carried Shankaracharya’s Palki on their own shoulders to Triveni Sangam for the holy snan and could have accorded him respect and honour. But it is the arrogance of power that the BJP has accrued through corrupt practices that has stopped them from doing this,” Akhilesh said.The SP chief said the essence of Hindu religious texts is that arrogance and pride inevitably punish even the strongest and most capable.. “Ahat sant athart satta ka ant (A hurt saint can lead to the end of a reign),” Akhilesh added.
