Wearing saffron robe does not make one a yogi. Akhilesh Yadav targeted CM, saints got angry.

Akhilesh Yadav on CM Yogi: These days, there is a fierce battle in the political arena of Uttar Pradesh regarding the definition of saffron and Yogi. Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav has made the sharpest attack on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath so far, raising questions on his religious identity and his being a Yogi. Akhilesh’s statement has brought a boil in the Sant Samaj along with the state politics.

During the program organized in Unnao, Akhilesh Yadav raised the issue of Shankaracharya Avimukteshwarananda and directly surrounded the Chief Minister. He said that saffron clothes are highly respected in Hindu religion, but one does not become a yogi just by wearing a robe or getting one’s ears pierced. Citing Geeta and teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Akhilesh argued that if a person has any remaining worldly desires then he does not deserve to be called a Yogi. He sarcastically said that the government in which revered Shankaracharya is stopped from bathing in the Ganga is guilty of sin.

Sharp warning from Sant Samaj

All India Sant Committee has expressed strong objection to this comment of Akhilesh Yadav. National General Secretary of the Committee, Swami Jitendranand Saraswati said in blunt words that Akhilesh Yadav should not cross the linguistic limits. He retorted and said that Yogi Adityanath ji does not need the certificate of Akhilesh Yadav. Akhilesh is doing politics on his father’s legacy. Yogi ji is a symbol of the penance of three generations of Gorakshpeeth.

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Root of controversy: Shankaracharya and Maryada

This entire struggle started from the Magh Mela of Prayagraj, where Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand was stopped by the police from going for Sangam bath. After this, the administration issued a notice questioning the authenticity of his post as Shankaracharya. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had also clarified in the Assembly that following religious norms is mandatory and no person can use the title of Shankaracharya without eligibility. At present, this confluence of faith and politics has increased the tension in Uttar Pradesh, where the opposition is calling it an insult to Sanatan tradition. At the same time, the ruling party is calling it the restoration of rules and decorum.