Avimukteshwaranand involved in plot to divide Hindus: Seers

Varanasi: Seers under the banner of Patalpuri Sanatan Dharm Raksha Parishad gathered at Patalpuri Mutt here and expressed their protest against Swami Avimuktesharanand Saraswati while the latter was demanding from BJP-led state govt a complete ban on beef exports from UP and granting Rajyamata status to cow in Lucknow on Wednesday.The meeting of saints of Ramanandi Sampradaya was led by Balak Devacharya Ji Maharaj at Patalpuri Math in Narharipura. He said Avimukteshwaranand was leading a campaign to divide Hindus.The seers gathered at the Patalpuri Mutt to protest an old statement by Avimukteshwaranand, which sparked controversy in early 2024. The seer had argued that since Ayodhya Ram Temple management belonged to the Ramanandi sect, it should not be controlled by any other. The saints condemned Avimukteshwaranand's statement and said he should not consider himself a ‘Dharmasamrat' (religious monarch). They said the very people who once rained sticks on him were the ones he now sat with and that he was involved in a conspiracy to divide Hindus. They added that political parties had their set agenda and saints should not behave in accordance with them.Balak Devacharya Ji Maharaj said if the seer called himself Shankaracharya, he should travel the country on foot and first familiarise with the soul of India. He said, "Ram is the soul of India and Ramanandi Sampradaya kept India's great culture and Hindutva intact through Ram Bhakti. If Ramanand Ji Maharaj was not there, neither Hindus nor India's culture would have survived. Someone calling himself Shankaracharya should not speak like a politician. Those who divided the country, those who opposed the temple of Bhagwan Ram, got Hindus shot at and attempted to demean and destroy Hindu Dharma in the name of secularism are now self-proclaimed Shankaracharya stood with them and challenged govt that claimed to be protecting Hindu Dharma.He wondered, how many days the swami stepped out of his comfort zone to serve the cow, complared to CM Yogi Adityanath served cattle in his Gaushala. He said Avimukteshwaranand should not utter a single word against Lord Ram, Ramanand or the Ramanandi Sampradaya, otherwise, 80 Mathas of Kashi would stand against him, and crores of Ramanandi Sampradaya disciples across the country would take to protest. He said that when Mughals forcibly converted people of Hindu Dharma and when Hindus fought to save their religion, it was Ramanand Ji who saved common people.The meeting was attended by Mahant Ramlochan Das, Mahant Shravan Das, Mahant Siyaram Das, Mahant Avadh Bihari Das, Mahant Shivkumar Das, Mahant Avadh Kishor Das, Mahant Dhanushdhari Das, Mahant Lal Baba, Mahant Raghav Das and Mahant Ram Das.Balak Devacharya and Avimukteshwaranand were both injured in police action in Sept 2015 during a dispute over immersion of a Ganesh idol in the Ganga, as administration directed immersion in Lakshmikund pond. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had met Swami Avimukteshwaranand and expressed regret over the 2015 incident, admitting it was a mistake.