Lucknow erupted in political fury as Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav unleashed a scathing attack on the Uttar Pradesh government. The trigger: an FIR filed against Jyotirmath Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati on charges of child sexual abuse, a case dating back two decades.
Speaking at a press conference in the SP headquarters on Sunday, Akhilesh accused the Yogi Adityanath administration of dredging up old allegations purely to humiliate a revered spiritual leader. ‘Differences in ideology are fine, but stooping to this level is unacceptable,’ he thundered.
The FIR, lodged by UP Police on court orders, names the Shankaracharya, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari, and unidentified others. Akhilesh linked it to recent events at the Magh Mela, where the Shankaracharya was allegedly barred from taking a holy dip in the Ganga amid freezing temperatures. ‘For the first time, a Shankaracharya was stopped from bathing in the Ganga. He sat on dharna for days in the cold, yet received no respect,’ he said.
Painting a picture of political vendetta, Akhilesh claimed the BJP is spoiling the state’s atmosphere ahead of elections. He recalled past incidents where BJP workers were implicated in desecrating temples by throwing meat, leading to their arrests. ‘Fake and edited videos flood social media to incite tension. Stay vigilant, people,’ he urged.
The former Chief Minister didn’t spare development projects either. He mocked the current regime’s underground pipeline schemes as ‘corruption pipelines,’ with costs doubling from Bundelkhand to Lucknow. Slamming the Gomti and Hindon river cleanup initiatives launched under his government, Akhilesh said progress has stalled.
In a witty jab at CM Yogi’s upcoming Japan trip, Akhilesh quipped, ‘Going to Japan but skipping Kyoto.’ Drawing parallels to Mahabharata’s Karna, he criticized the government’s social justice failures. ‘The public has rejected this government from their hearts; they’re just waiting for the ballot,’ Akhilesh concluded, signaling SP’s aggressive campaign stance.