In a fiery press conference in New Delhi, Pawan Khera, Congress’s media chief, accused the BJP-led government of turning faith into a tool for commerce and control. He decried a ‘reign of disorder’ across India, where religion masks a ruthless pursuit of power.
The flashpoint: the government’s interference in the Shahi Snan at Mahakumbh. This millennia-old rite, preserved through Mughal and colonial eras, was allegedly disrupted. Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand was prevented from his palanquin procession, Khera claimed.
Khera juxtaposed this with the lavish security for Mohan Bhagwat – Z-plus cover and a massive motorcade. ‘Has Bhagwat surpassed the Shankaracharya in stature?’ he questioned, exposing what he sees as selective reverence.
Reports of preferential treatment for elites at the Kumbh, contrasted with rough handling of common pilgrims and saints, fueled his outrage. ‘Faith has become business,’ he said, citing brutality against the Shankaracharya’s followers.
Expanding his attack, Khera pointed to Odisha’s Hanuman Chalisa protests for a murderer’s release and Rajasthan’s stalled justice in the Udaipur beheading. ‘They’re neither for karma nor dharma – just thrones and treasuries,’ he lambasted.
With the Shankaracharya fasting in protest, unmoved by government apathy and online trolls, Khera issued a stark advisory: ‘Rulers must prostrate before saints.’ Failure to act, he predicted, would unmask the BJP as money-worshippers, not true guardians of Sanatan Dharma.
Khera’s broadside signals Congress’s strategy to reclaim moral high ground on Hindu traditions amid escalating political battles.