Lagatar24 Desk
Mumbai: Swami Avimukteshwarananda, the 46th Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, has voiced his support for Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, expressing that his “pain won’t be relieved” until Thackeray returns as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Speaking to the media after visiting Uddhav Thackeray’s residence ‘Matoshree’ in Mumbai on Monday, Swami Avimukteshwarananda stated, “We are followers of the Hindu religion and believe in paap (sin) and punya (holy deeds). The biggest sin is betrayal. Uddhav Thackeray has been deceived.”
He continued, “I told him (Uddhav Thackeray) that all of us were pained by the betrayal he had to face. Our pain will not be relieved until he becomes the chief minister of Maharashtra again.”
The Shankaracharya expressed that the betrayal Thackeray experienced was evident in the pain of the people of Maharashtra and reflected in the election results. “A person who commits deceit cannot be a Hindu… The people of Maharashtra are pained by the betrayal, and it was also evident from the election results,” he said. He further added, “This is also a disrespect to the people who choose their leader. It is wrong to break a government in between its tenure and insult the public mandate.”
The context for these statements dates back to when Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, along with over 40 Shiv Sena MLAs, rebelled against then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. This rebellion led to the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which included the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress. Shinde then allied with the BJP and assumed the role of Chief Minister. Subsequently, the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena was awarded the Bow and Arrow symbol by the Election Commission.
When questioned about his recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, Swami Avimukteshwarananda explained, “He came to me and did a pranaam. It is a rule that we have to bless whoever comes to us, and so I blessed him. Narendra Modi is not our enemy. We are his well-wishers and always speak for his welfare. If he makes a mistake, then we also point that out to him.”
Swami Avimukteshwarananda attended the wedding alongside the Shankaracharya of Dwarka Peeth, Swami Sadananda Saraswati, on July 12 in Mumbai.
