Bageshwar Dham Divides Congress; Disgruntlement Over Kamal Nath Hosting Baba In Chhindwara

After hosting a Hanuman Katha by the Peethadhish of the Bagheshwar Dham, Dhirendra Shastri, in Chhindwara, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has been facing the ire of his own party members.

Without taking a name, Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam Xted, "...performing aarti of BJP's star campaigner doesn't suit senior Congress leaders."

His indication was to the incident when Madhya Pradesh Congress President Kamal Nath welcomed Shastri by performing an Aarti.

Pramod also targeted Shastri by posting that Asaram Bapu too went to Chhindwara by plane. Asaram Bapu was convicted in a rape case.

However, a few Congress leaders also defended Nath's gesture by saying that this "preparation" is intended to prevent Shastri from speaking against the party in the lead-up to the Assembly election.

Downplaying the notion of Congress also adopting its version of "Hindutva," senior leader Ajay Singh 'Rahul,' who is the son of former Chief Minister, the late Arjun Singh, and a former Minister himself, stated that such events should not be linked to the politics of "Hindutva."

"We never had the Congress or BJP's Hindutva agenda in MP Even before the BJP came to power in 2003, I organized the most number of kathas in Bhopal, attended by top BJP leaders," Singh said.

"Now kathas have gained prominence as a status symbol, showing who is hosting whose katha and how many people attend," he added.

However, many believe that due to Shastri's crowd-pulling abilities, the event's significance will extend beyond its immediate context and influence the upcoming Assembly elections.

Shastri, who boasts a substantial following across India and remains unaffiliated with any party, has been courted by BJP leaders wherever he goes.

Speaking to his followers in Bihar in May this year, the preacher asserted that India was already a Hindu nation, a comment well-received by many BJP leaders and right-wing activists.

"Unlike the BJP, our idea of Sanatan Dharma is inclusive and does not discriminate between communities. That's the core difference between us and them," stated senior Congress leader from Bihar, Kishore Kumar Jha.

However, a senior leader from Madhya Pradesh expressed a more firm opinion.

"Babas alone cannot ensure votes. While it's not uncommon for people to gather in large numbers for such religious events, votes are obtained by serving the people genuinely, becoming a part of their lives, addressing their needs. It's essential services like water, electricity, and roads that earn votes. If winning elections were that straightforward, these preachers would have contested themselves," he added.

Regarding Shastri's comment about Hindu Rashtra, Piyush Babele, media advisor to Nath, referred to the former Chief Minister's statement that the "country will function in accordance with the Constitution."

Some leaders like Kantilal Bhuria, recently appointed as the election campaign committee chief, refrained from commenting on the issue.

Others, like Arif Masood, an MLA from Bhopal, consider such events as individual initiatives. Despite this, Nath's attendance at the Chhindwara katha's inaugural day was live-streamed from the MP Congress' official handle on X.

As an Opposition party, Congress has held varying stances towards such preachers at different times. For instance, when he visited Gujarat earlier this year, the local Congress unit opposed him.

In his home state of Madhya Pradesh, however, top leaders from both the BJP and Congress, including CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Nath, have visited the Bageshwar Dham and sought blessings from the preacher.

Congress sources also assert that Chhattarpur MLA Alok Chaturvedi, also known as Pajjan Bhaiya, mentored Shastri during his early days as a preacher.

Meanwhile, the katha has also created a rift within the INDIA group as Shiv Anand Tiwari, a leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has demanded clarification from senior leaders of the Congress.

He said, "Dhirendra Shastri is a strong supporter of the Hindu nation. We have been opposing Dhirendra Shastri for a long time. He has a hidden agenda of Hindutva. Democracy is not based on any scripture but on the Constitution. How low will we stoop for political gain? We request the Congress party's high command to clarify in this matter and demand an explanation from Kamal Nath."

Kamal Nath did not provide a clear response to Tiwari's statements on Tuesday (8 August), but he brushed the issue aside by saying that he built a Hanuman temple 15 years ago, should he also give explanation for that.

In the meantime, a video of Kamal Nath has gone viral. In the video, he tells Shastri that they won't let him go. Their relationship is with Lord Hanuman. They will continue to hold such events.

State Home Minister Narottam Mishra asked Nath to not engage in political hypocrisy and asked what religious activities he has undertaken in his 15-month tenure as CM.

"He (Nath) has not done anything for religion, temples, or priests. When in the opposition, they start talking about temples. They engage in political hypocrisy," Mishra said.

CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan targeted Nath by saying that those calling Ram imaginary are narrating Hanuman Katha.

"Congress is desperate, as they used to refrain from mentioning Lord Ram's name and considered him imaginary. They are now organizing Hanuman Katha. The elections are approaching, and Kamal Nath is thinking about where to go. That's why he is arranging such events," Chouhan said.

The Katha by Shastri took place in Chhindwara from the 5 to 7 August. The event was hosted by Member of Parliament and Kamal Nath's son, Nakul Nath.

Also read: '82 Per Cent Of The Nation Is Hindu': Former CM Kamal Nath Flirts With Hindutva Ahead Of Madhya Pradesh Polls