Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar blasted self-styled godman Dhirendra Krishna Shastri aka Bageshwar Dham Sarkar for remarking that “the fire of Hindu Rashtra will be ignited from Bihar.” ‘Baba Bageshwar’ has been in Patna, Bihar, during a five-day pilgrimage.
In response to Shastri’s remark, Nitish Kumar stated that those making such remarks about Hindu Rashtra were not even born when the Constitution was drafted. “He (Shastri) was not even born, nor were we, when the country became Independent and the Constitution took shape, wherein equal rights are granted to adherents of all religions. We take pride that Bihar is home to shrines of many faiths and attracts pilgrims from far and wide. It must also be kept in mind that nobody can bring about a change in the Constitution’s basic character. Such an exercise will require a two-third majority in both houses of Parliament,” Kumar said in a veiled taunt to BJP.
But who is Bageshwar Dham Sarkar and What is the Entire Controversy?
Shashtri came to Patna on May 13 for ‘Hanuman Katha’ at Taret Pali Math in Naubatpur locality drawing a huge crowd. Meanwhile, leaders of Mahagathbandhan are objecting to the speeches delivered by Shastri since May 13. They have taken a strong objection to his statement of making India a “Hindu” country.
Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav, Jagadanand Singh and many other leaders slammed Shastri saying his speeches are aimed at dividing the country. Blackened posters of the self-styled godman at Dak Bunglow Chowk here sent the Patna police into a tizzy on Wednesday. The police, however, were clueless about the miscreants.
On Wednesday, the locals found the hoardings of godman smeared with black ink at Dak Bunglow Chowk with 420, thief and cheater scribbled on it.
What Did Shastri Say?
On Day 4 of his ‘Hanuman Katha’, Shastri repeated his commitment to make India a Hindu nation on Tuesday.
Shastri also claimed that he has come to Bihar by risking his life to wake up the people of the state. After offering prayers at the Hanuman temple near Patna Junction railway station, Shastri went to the venue of his event at the Taret Pali Math in Naubatpur.
“The population of Bihar is around 13 crore and I want to tell you through this ‘Hanuman Katha’ that once you return to your respective homes, you should install religious flags of Lord Hanuman. If five crore people of Bihar do that and put ’tilak’ on their foreheads before stepping out of their homes, India will head towards becoming a Hindu nation. I want to appeal to all the people to save and preserve their culture and Sanatan Dharma. I came to Bihar by risking my life to wake up the people of Bihar. And I will continue to do so,” Shastri said.
“People should read Ramcharitmanas, put ’tilak’ on their foreheads, and install religious flag of Lord Hanuman at their homes to preserve Sanatan Dharma. I don’t want to force anyone with religion, but I want to say that those who worship Lord Ram, Lord Hanuman will protect their homes,” Shastri added.
RJD-BJP Tussle
Amid RJD leaders opposing self-styled godman Dhirendra Shastri’s visit to Patna for a religious event, the BJP had put up posters supporting the spiritual leader and attacking the RJD.
The poster, released by state BJP Minority Morcha Minister Nawab Ali, had said: “The way RJD leaders are opposing Baba Bageshwar in Bihar, it’s attributed to objections to Sanatan Dharma. The people of Bihar will give appropriate answers to the people opposing it in the upcoming election.”
The poster had said, “Vipakshiyo Me Machi Hai Khalbali, Aa rahe Hai Bajrangbali. ..Samarthan Me Khara Hai Nawab Ali.” Another poster had said: “Those who are opposing Baba Bageshwar should go to Pakistan.”
Patna police are likely to impose a fine on Bageshwar Dham chief and self-styled godman Dhirendra Shastri and MP Manoj Tiwari for violation of traffic rules, an official said.
Shastri had arrived in Patna on May 13 and BJP leader Manoj Tiwari had driven his SUV from Patna airport to Panash hotel where he was staying. During the journey, they did not wear seat belt and reached the hotel. Keeping this in view, Puran Kumar Jha, the traffic SP of Patna had even constituted a team headed by traffic DSP of Patna to investigate the incident.
RJD national President Lalu Prasad Yadav had also said earlier that the godman is not a seer. The veteran leader had, “I refuse to accept that he is a Baba.”
IANS, PTI contributed to this report
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