Apparently inspired by Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, now the saint of Ayodhya wants to get involved in politics.

A priest of the Hanuman Garhi Temple, Mahant Raju Das, and Mahant Paramhans Das of Tapasvi Ji Ki Chhawani, are among the prominent saints hoping to vote from the Ayodhya (Sadar) parliamentary seat, which is considered a VIP constituency.

BJP’s Ved Prakash Gupta is the current MLA for the seat and a contender for the 2022 ticket.

Ram Janmabhoomi, where a magnificent Ram Temple is under construction, is located in this constituency.

Mahant Paramhans Das said: “I have decided to vote from the Ayodhya parliamentary seat. I am seeking votes from the BJP. If the party rejects the vote, then I will submit the nomination as an independent candidate.”

Referring to his agenda, he said: “If Morvis gets a salary, then the Prophet has to get a salary too.”

Paramhans Das is often in the news for holding protests and making controversial remarks.

A year before the Supreme Court ruled on Ayodhya’s title lawsuit in November 2019, Paramhans Das had announced that he would sit on a cremation pyre and set himself on fire if the central government failed to issue an decree to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Mahant Raju Das is also said to be keen on a parallel political career and has even spoken to top BJP leaders in this regard.

However, Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of Ram Lalla Temple, is against the saints entering active politics.

“There are two kinds of nitis (policy) – Rajniti (politics) and Dharamniti (religion). Those who enter Dharamniti are not allowed to participate in Rajniti. These are two different fields,” he said.

Satyendra Das, 82, a former Sanskrit lecturer, has been conducting Ram Lalla pujas at the makeshift Ram Janmabhoomi temple for the past 28 years. He recently said that Yogi Adityanath’s absence from Ayodhya’s seat was a good decision.

Earlier this week, Swami Avimukteshwaranand had said that the saint should not be the chief minister.

“No one can keep two promises. A saint can be a ‘mahant’ but not a chief minister or prime minister. This is possible in Islam’s ‘khilafat’ system, where the religious leader also happens to be the king,” the senior minister said. See Apparently Yogi Adityanath is mentioned.

Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, the successor to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, chairman of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, also opposed the saints’ participation in elections.

Ayodhya district has five parliamentary seats – Ayodhya (Sadar), Rudauli, Mulkipur, Bikapur and Gosaiganj. The BJP won all of them in the 2017 poll.

Samajwadi party Tej Narain Pandey holds the seat.

Ayodhya will vote for the fifth stage on February 27.

Complete News Source : Business Standard