LUCKNOW: Is he a poet? Is he a seer? Or, is he an impostor?
Supporters and critics may be divided on who Acharya Pramod Krishnam really is, but Congress’s candidate from Lucknow who will take on sitting BJP MP and Union home minister
Rajnath Singh on May 6 is undoubtedly one of the most vocal anti-establishment voices on social media in the country.
A
Brahmin
from Bihar, 56-year-old Krishnam is the founder of Shri
Kalki foundation and the peethadhishwar of Kalkidham
Sambhal
. He writes bhajans, wins accolades for his mushairas and waxes eloquent when speaking on religion, including Islam, and humanity.
In November 2015, he was allegedly held hostage at a private hotel room here in Lucknow apparently to stop him from engaging in “peace talks” at Mahmudabad in Sitapur district. The administration had reportedly deployed forces to stop his lecture on humanity.
Earlier in 2014, Krishnam had been fielded by the Congress from Sambhal, but he lost. Three years later, the
Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad
dubbed him a “fake baba”.
Chairman of the Parishad Mahant Narendra Giri said they still believed Krishnam to be an impostor. “He (Krishnam) was listed as a fake baba because he does not followour sant parampara. He has neither taken up sanyasnor left his home and family, which all genuine saints do,” Giri added.
In the Parishad list of 30 fake babas, Krishnam joins ranks with the likes of Gurmit Ram Rahim, Radhey Ma,
Nirmal Baba
and Asaram.