Over 15% of Population, but 4.4% of Indian parliament. Lowest Muslim Representation in Six Decades:
- Thread starter Asfandyar Bhittani
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Baibers_1260
Trusted Member
Malcolm Reynolds
Registered Member
RamBharose
SpeedLimited
Ram ram ji,
Owaisi Sahab has every right to grow his party in states like UP, Bihar and Maharashtra because the so-called secular parties there have used Muslims only as vote banks. You can't blame Owaisi Sahab if this indirectly helps the BJP by splitting the Muslim vote bank.
hasssanali8998
Elite Member
Baibers_1260
Trusted Member
@Malcolm Reynolds
"they say, he's a vote cutter, a B team of BJP."
जय श्री राम ।
Ram Bharose ji
In a similar manner Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati. is a vote cutter looking to split the so-called Rashtra Bhakt Hindutva BJP party's Hindu vote bank in UP and elsewhere.
Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati has demanded that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath prove his Hindutva credentials by the following actions.
1. Stopping the export of beef from UP
2. Declaring the cow as the Rajmata
Interesting report in the Indian Express
(Link)
Who is Swami Avimukteshwaranad Saraswati, the ‘Shankaracharya’ taking on BJP?
While he has had fraught relations with BJP, Jyotirmath “Shankaracharya” had also been at odds with past UP govts under SP and BSP as well as the previous Congress-led UPA govt at the Centre
While tensions between Swami Avimukteshwaranad Saraswati and the BJP have now flared up, he had also been at odds with the past Uttar Pradesh governments led by the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) as well as the previous Congress-led UPA government at the Centre.
Last week, Swami Saraswati returned to his math in Varanasi after holding 11 days of sit-in protest in Prayagraj over being allegedly prevented by the local administration from taking a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam on Mauni Amavasya on January 18. He was also questioned by the Prayagraj Mela Authority over his use of the title “Shankaracharya” of Jyotirmath in Uttarakhand.
Two days after his return from Magh Mela, on January 30, Swami Saraswati gave a 40-day “ultimatum” to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to “declare gau mata” as “rajya mata” and take steps to stop the export of “cow meat”. Maintaining that the Magh Mela row was over and would be addressed only during next year’s mela, Saraswati said it was now the CM’s turn to address his demands and give “proof of being a Hindu”.
Stint in student politics
Saraswati, 56, hails from Brahmanpur village in UP’s Pratapgarh district. His original name is Umashankar Pandey. He shifted to Gujarat for studies where he came in contact of Dwarka Shardapeethadhishwar Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati who inspired him to study Sanskrit in Kashi (Varanasi).Elevation to ‘Shankaracharya’
Swami Avimukteshwarand’s pattabhishek (ritual for coronation as Shankaracharya) was performed on September 12, 2022, a day after Swaroopanand Saraswati passed away. “Pattabhishek ceremony of Swami Avimukteshwaranand as Shankaracharya of Jytish Peeth and Sadanand Saraswati as Shankaracharya of Dwarka peeth were performed as per the written will of Swami Swaroopananda Saraswati Maharaj,” said Yogiraj Sarkar, national media in-charge of Avimukteshwaranand. He said this coronation was performed within 24 hours of the departure of Swaroopanand Saraswati because the Peeth can not be left vacant.Amid the tussle over Mauni Amavasya snan at the Sangam, the Magha Mela Authority under the state government, citing a 2022 Supreme Court order, issued a notice to Swami Saraswati, asking him to explain why he was using the “Shankaracharya” title.
In its notice dated January 19, the Mela Authority referred to a civil appeal pending in the Supreme Court in this matter. The notice stated that since no further order has been passed in the plea, until the Supreme Court disposes of the appeal in question or passes a further order regarding the consecration, no Dharmacharya can be consecrated as Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth.
In response, Swami Saraswati’s team said it would take legal action against the Mela Authority, accusing it of interfering with the age-old traditions of Shankaracharya and his disciples.
On the pending case in the apex court, Yogiraj Sarkar said: “Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati had earlier challenged the coronation of Swaroopanand Saraswati as Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth and later he challenged the coronation of Avimukteshwaranand ji but no final order has come in his recent petition.”
Multiple rows
Swami Saraswati has been a vocal seer, who has often made headlines by making statements castigating various governments on different issues.While the UP BJP leaders have officially refrained from making any comments during Saraswati’s protest against alleged “high-handedness’ of the Prayagraj administration and Mela Authority against him and his followers, some of them have dubbed him “pro-Congress” and “anti-BJP”, flagging the point that UP Congress chief Ajay Rai not only backed the seer’s sit-in, but also visited him.
The All India Congress Committee (AICC)’s media and publicity department chairman Pawan Khera has attacked the BJP, alleging that the ruling party used to ask Muslims “kaagaz dikhao” (show the papers) and was now telling the same to a top Hindu seer.
The Akhilesh Yadav-led SP too extended its support to Saraswati, accusing the BJP of “disrespecting Sanatan Dharma”.
From the BJP camp, only Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya urged Avimukteshwaranand to take a holy dip in Prayagraj while promising action against those officials who might have disrespected him.
However, CM Adityanath seemed to have struck a different note. While speaking at an event in Haryana then, Adityanath, without naming anyone, said, “Aise kayi kalnemi honge jo dharma ki aadh mein Sanatan Dharma ko kamzor karne ki sazish rach rahe honge. Humein unse sawadhan hona hoga, satarka rehna hoga (There would be many such demons, who under the pretext of religion are conspiring to weaken Sanatan Dharma. We need to be watchful and on alert against such people).”
But it was not the first time Avimukteshwaranand has found himself at the centre of a controversy. He has had fraught relations with the BJP.
In the wake of the stampede at the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj in January 2025, in which at least 30 people were killed, Saraswati had blamed the Adityanath government for the incident.
In January 2024, ahead of the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Avimukteshwaranand not only declined to attend the ceremony, but also objected to the consecration taking place for an “under-construction temple”.
A year earlier, he had alleged that 228 kg of gold was missing from the Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand, referring to it as a “scam”.
Akhilesh Yadav spoke to Swami Saraswati over phone to extend the SP’s support to him over the Magh mela row, but it was under his government in September 2015 when the police had cracked down on the protesters, including Avimukteshwaranand, who had blocked the Godaulia Chauraha near Dashashwamedha ghat in Varanasi, demanding that the Ganesha idol should be immersed in Ganga.
Violence and arson had then broken out in Varanasi during a protest march by seers and other local leaders against police action, following which Ajay Rai had left for Delhito meet Rahul Gandhi. Rai was arrested from the Varanasi airport following his return.
“He (Saraswati) is neither a supporter nor an opponent of any particular political party. He had opposed demolition of Rani Bhawani temple during the Mayawati government. He protested the insult of lord Ganesha’s idol during the Samajwadi Party government. He ran a Mandir Bachao Andolan to protect the idols and temples during the development of Kashi Vishwanath corridor in the first term of Yogi Adityanath government. He led Ganga Andolan against the Congress-led UPA government.
Also, he had excommunicated Rahul from Hinduism for allegedly ‘insulting’ the ancient Sanskrit text, the Manusmriti,” said Sanjay Pandey, another media in-charge of Avimukteshwaranand.
Pandey said Swami Saraswati had launched Ramsetu Rakasha Andolan and had also run Ganga Seva Abhiyan to demand that Ganga be declared a national river. “The Ganga demand was accepted by the UPA government. He also fought for the construction of Ram Temple,” Pandey claimed.
(Link
Last edited:
RamBharose
SpeedLimited
Ram ram Baibers_1260 ji,@Malcolm Reynolds
"they say, he's a vote cutter, a B team of BJP."
जय श्री राम ।
Ram Bharose ji
In a similar manner Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati. is a vote cutter looking to split the so-called Rashtra Bhakt Hindutva BJP party's Hindu vote bank in UP and elsewhere.
Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati has demanded that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath prove his Hindutva credentials by the following actions.
1. Stopping the export of beef from UP2. Declaring the cow as the Rajmata
Interesting report in the Indian Express
(Link)
Who is Swami Avimukteshwaranad Saraswati, the ‘Shankaracharya’ taking on BJP?
While he has had fraught relations with BJP, Jyotirmath “Shankaracharya” had also been at odds with past UP govts under SP and BSP as well as the previous Congress-led UPA govt at the Centre
View attachment 177522
While tensions between Swami Avimukteshwaranad Saraswati and the BJP have now flared up, he had also been at odds with the past Uttar Pradesh governments led by the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) as well as the previous Congress-led UPA government at the Centre.
Last week, Swami Saraswati returned to his math in Varanasi after holding 11 days of sit-in protest in Prayagraj over being allegedly prevented by the local administration from taking a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam on Mauni Amavasya on January 18. He was also questioned by the Prayagraj Mela Authority over his use of the title “Shankaracharya” of Jyotirmath in Uttarakhand.
Two days after his return from Magh Mela, on January 30, Swami Saraswati gave a 40-day “ultimatum” to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to “declare gau mata” as “rajya mata” and take steps to stop the export of “cow meat”. Maintaining that the Magh Mela row was over and would be addressed only during next year’s mela, Saraswati said it was now the CM’s turn to address his demands and give “proof of being a Hindu”.
Stint in student politics
Saraswati, 56, hails from Brahmanpur village in UP’s Pratapgarh district. His original name is Umashankar Pandey. He shifted to Gujarat for studies where he came in contact of Dwarka Shardapeethadhishwar Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati who inspired him to study Sanskrit in Kashi (Varanasi).
Elevation to ‘Shankaracharya’
Swami Avimukteshwarand’s pattabhishek (ritual for coronation as Shankaracharya) was performed on September 12, 2022, a day after Swaroopanand Saraswati passed away. “Pattabhishek ceremony of Swami Avimukteshwaranand as Shankaracharya of Jytish Peeth and Sadanand Saraswati as Shankaracharya of Dwarka peeth were performed as per the written will of Swami Swaroopananda Saraswati Maharaj,” said Yogiraj Sarkar, national media in-charge of Avimukteshwaranand. He said this coronation was performed within 24 hours of the departure of Swaroopanand Saraswati because the Peeth can not be left vacant.
Amid the tussle over Mauni Amavasya snan at the Sangam, the Magha Mela Authority under the state government, citing a 2022 Supreme Court order, issued a notice to Swami Saraswati, asking him to explain why he was using the “Shankaracharya” title.
In its notice dated January 19, the Mela Authority referred to a civil appeal pending in the Supreme Court in this matter. The notice stated that since no further order has been passed in the plea, until the Supreme Court disposes of the appeal in question or passes a further order regarding the consecration, no Dharmacharya can be consecrated as Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth.
In response, Swami Saraswati’s team said it would take legal action against the Mela Authority, accusing it of interfering with the age-old traditions of Shankaracharya and his disciples.
On the pending case in the apex court, Yogiraj Sarkar said: “Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati had earlier challenged the coronation of Swaroopanand Saraswati as Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth and later he challenged the coronation of Avimukteshwaranand ji but no final order has come in his recent petition.”
Multiple rows
Swami Saraswati has been a vocal seer, who has often made headlines by making statements castigating various governments on different issues.
While the UP BJP leaders have officially refrained from making any comments during Saraswati’s protest against alleged “high-handedness’ of the Prayagraj administration and Mela Authority against him and his followers, some of them have dubbed him “pro-Congress” and “anti-BJP”, flagging the point that UP Congress chief Ajay Rai not only backed the seer’s sit-in, but also visited him.
The All India Congress Committee (AICC)’s media and publicity department chairman Pawan Khera has attacked the BJP, alleging that the ruling party used to ask Muslims “kaagaz dikhao” (show the papers) and was now telling the same to a top Hindu seer.
The Akhilesh Yadav-led SP too extended its support to Saraswati, accusing the BJP of “disrespecting Sanatan Dharma”.
From the BJP camp, only Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya urged Avimukteshwaranand to take a holy dip in Prayagraj while promising action against those officials who might have disrespected him.
However, CM Adityanath seemed to have struck a different note. While speaking at an event in Haryana then, Adityanath, without naming anyone, said, “Aise kayi kalnemi honge jo dharma ki aadh mein Sanatan Dharma ko kamzor karne ki sazish rach rahe honge. Humein unse sawadhan hona hoga, satarka rehna hoga (There would be many such demons, who under the pretext of religion are conspiring to weaken Sanatan Dharma. We need to be watchful and on alert against such people).”
But it was not the first time Avimukteshwaranand has found himself at the centre of a controversy. He has had fraught relations with the BJP.
In the wake of the stampede at the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj in January 2025, in which at least 30 people were killed, Saraswati had blamed the Adityanath government for the incident.
In January 2024, ahead of the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Avimukteshwaranand not only declined to attend the ceremony, but also objected to the consecration taking place for an “under-construction temple”.
A year earlier, he had alleged that 228 kg of gold was missing from the Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand, referring to it as a “scam”.
Akhilesh Yadav spoke to Swami Saraswati over phone to extend the SP’s support to him over the Magh mela row, but it was under his government in September 2015 when the police had cracked down on the protesters, including Avimukteshwaranand, who had blocked the Godaulia Chauraha near Dashashwamedha ghat in Varanasi, demanding that the Ganesha idol should be immersed in Ganga.
Violence and arson had then broken out in Varanasi during a protest march by seers and other local leaders against police action, following which Ajay Rai had left for Delhito meet Rahul Gandhi. Rai was arrested from the Varanasi airport following his return.
“He (Saraswati) is neither a supporter nor an opponent of any particular political party. He had opposed demolition of Rani Bhawani temple during the Mayawati government. He protested the insult of lord Ganesha’s idol during the Samajwadi Party government. He ran a Mandir Bachao Andolan to protect the idols and temples during the development of Kashi Vishwanath corridor in the first term of Yogi Adityanath government. He led Ganga Andolan against the Congress-led UPA government.
Also, he had excommunicated Rahul from Hinduism for allegedly ‘insulting’ the ancient Sanskrit text, the Manusmriti,” said Sanjay Pandey, another media in-charge of Avimukteshwaranand.
Pandey said Swami Saraswati had launched Ramsetu Rakasha Andolan and had also run Ganga Seva Abhiyan to demand that Ganga be declared a national river. “The Ganga demand was accepted by the UPA government. He also fought for the construction of Ram Temple,” Pandey claimed.
(Link
I believe everyone has a right to engage in lawful political activity and seek electoral representation on the basis of their political agenda, so I don't consider either Owaisi Sahab or Swami ji to be a vote cutter or a B team of any other party.
However, since you have brought up the comparison, it would be remiss of me not to point out that there is a considerable difference in the electoral standing of Owaisi Sahab and Swami ji. Owaisi Sahab has been able to win seats in the state assemblies even outside his core area of influence in Telangana, but Swami ji has yet to have any significant electoral impact. In fact, I was not even aware of his esteemed personages before you pointed him out. While that may be attributed to my ignorance, I don't believe he has decisively affected the outcome of even a single election so far, nor is he likely to do so in future.
Baibers_1260
Trusted Member
Agree here.
I wrote Swamiji is "looking " to be a "vote cutter". since he is obviously being backed by Akhliesh Yadav and ironically the Congress even after he excommunicated Rahui Gandhi from the Hindu faith. However unlike Owaisi, Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati. does not officially belong to a political party nor has ever stood for elections as an independent.
Swami Avimukteshwaranad Saraswati is a relatively recent entrant into religious politics having taken over when Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati passed away in September 2022.
If you read the Indian Express write-up on Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati. you will find that he is
taken seriously enough by Yogi Adityanath to make oblique references to the political threat he poses.
Extract from the Indian Express Report ( for your comments )
"However, CM Adityanath seemed to have struck a different note. While speaking at an event in Haryana then, Adityanath, without naming anyone, said, “Aise kayi kalnemi honge jo dharma ki aadh mein Sanatan Dharma ko kamzor karne ki sazish rach rahe honge. Humein unse sawadhan hona hoga, satarka rehna hoga (There would be many such demons, who under the pretext of religion are conspiring to weaken Sanatan Dharma. We need to be watchful and on alert against such people).”
RamBharose
SpeedLimited
Baibers_1260 ji,
I put more value in hard data and my own instincts over the interpretation of oblique references made by politicians. Since there are other so-called dharamgurus who are also support anti-BJP parties , I am not certain who he was referring to in the quote you referenced, but the fact is that, as of today, Swamiji is not a serious factor in the electoral process.
Incidentally, a large section of the RSS rank and file was unhappy with Yogi ji, because, among other reasons, he ended the system of nepotism and patronage that had previously prevailed. That was one of the reasons that the BJP underperforms substantially in UP in the last Lok Sabha elections and the party lost its abolute majority and he is now dependent on alliance partners.
FarhanSiddiqui
Registered Member
The Indian Muslims are over 15% of the population but are systematically denied seats in the educational institutions, employment and political representation. The Indian Muslims face daily harassment and then are termed as backward.
Baibers_1260
Trusted Member
Maybe.. but some are taking the "Shankaracharya factor" seriously enough to resign a government job and counter Swamiji.
Did Yogi really end nepotism and patronage? Why would the RSS be unhappy about ending nepotism and patronage when the RSS itself has claimed to fight the single family dominated nepotism ridden Congress Party throughout its history.
The commonly held viewpoint by foreign analysts (including amateur India watchers in Pakistan like myself) is that the BJP failed to secure an absolute majority in the last Lok Sabha elections because of a real or perceived misconception amongst the OBC/SC electorate that the constitutional provisions for job reservations would be discarded.
Since then in an effort to placate the vote-bank the BJP has tactically approved the holding of a National Caste Census and other anti-discrimination laws such as the UGC Equity Regulations Bill.
Baibers_1260
Trusted Member
@RamBharose
The UGC Equity Regulations Bill also mentions "religion " as a basis for discrimination but oddly Mr. Owaisi is silent on this aspect of the Bill .
The UGC Equity Regulations Bill also mentions "religion " as a basis for discrimination but oddly Mr. Owaisi is silent on this aspect of the Bill .
RamBharose
SpeedLimited
Let us wait till the next election and see what impact Swamiji has at the ballot box.
I am talking about the small-scale nepotism and patronage network that small time political workers expect and rely on when their party comes to power. Previously, Sanghis and workers of other parties could rely upon receiving some preferential treatment for small local government contracts when their party was in power, but Yogi ji digitised the entire process and introduced online auctions to award these. That, and Yogi ji's somewhat high-handed approach towards law enforcement where bahubaali elements with Sangh affiliations were also targeted, made the swayamsewaks wonder why they should work for a leader who was not rewarding them for their sacrifices over many years when the BJP was out of power.
That was certainly one factor that got a lot of media space, along with anti-incumbency, but ultimately all politics is local and there were several local factors at play. In UP, there was backlash from within BJP supporters against Yogi ji's style of functioning. In Maharashtra, there was a sympathy wave for Sharadrao Saheb and Uddhav Saheb who were both victims of coups within their parties , and so on.
Vapnope
Trusted Member
Must be true because Indians are migrating in droves to countries that have muslim leadership.
Vapnope
Trusted Member
Remind me Godse is hero of which people and what are their status when it comes to power now?
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