Hanumangarhi row deepens as Shankaracharya, Brij Bhushan contradict Yogi

The political storm over Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath's claim that namaz was once offered on the steps of Hanumangarhi in Ayodhya intensified on Friday, 17 July, with Jyotirmath Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav all rejecting the assertion and demanding that the chief minister substantiate his remarks.

The controversy stems from Adityanath's speech in Ayodhya on 10 July, in which he accused the Samajwadi Party of allowing namaz to be offered on the steps of the Hanumangarhi temple during its tenure in office. The chief minister made the remarks while countering Opposition criticism over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple, arguing that those questioning the BJP had themselves insulted Hindu faith.

Addressing reporters in Gonda, Swami Avimukteshwaranand launched a direct challenge to the chief minister. "Chief minister Yogi Adityanath should prove when namaz was ever offered on the steps of Hanumangarhi. If he cannot prove it, he should resign," the seer said.

He accused the chief minister of making false statements on the sacred land of Ayodhya. "The chief minister should be ashamed. He is speaking lies on the sacred land of Ayodhya," he said.

The Shankaracharya also reportedly said he would urge the mahants of Hanumangarhi to bar Adityanath from entering the temple if he failed to substantiate the allegation. If that did not happen, he said, he would himself stop visiting Hanumangarhi.

The remarks marked one of the sharpest public rebukes of the chief minister by a prominent Hindu religious leader.

Adding to the controversy, former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was closely associated with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, also contradicted the chief minister's assertion. Speaking to reporters in Gonda, Singh said claims that namaz had ever been offered at Hanumangarhi were "factually incorrect".

"No, namaz was never offered there. That claim is wrong," he said.

Asked about Avimukteshwaranand's demand that Adityanath either substantiate his allegation or face a ban from the temple, Singh declined to comment but reiterated that the claim itself was incorrect.

The six-time MP also made the striking assertion that Hanumangarhi had been "constructed by a Muslim man", adding that stones installed by him still formed part of the temple structure, though he said he could not recall the person's name.

On the Ram temple donation controversy, however, Singh defended the BJP leadership, saying neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor Adityanath should be held responsible. "The prime minister has nothing to do with this matter, nor does chief minister Yogi Adityanath," he said.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, meanwhile, accused the BJP of manufacturing the Hanumangarhi controversy to divert attention from the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple.

Sharing on X a video of Hanumangarhi mahant Anand Das, who reportedly disputed the chief minister's claim, Yadav alleged that the BJP was resorting to "false propaganda".

"The BJP's irreligious politics of theft, loot, deceit, fraud, lies and treachery has now moved beyond Lord Ram's temple to Hanumangarhi. Those spreading false propaganda about Hanumangarhi should atone for their grave sin and admit that they are doing so to divert attention from the theft in the Ram temple," he said.

"Otherwise, they should climb the steps of Hanumangarhi on their knees and seek forgiveness from this ancient seat of faith. In pursuing narrow politics, they forget that by speaking lies they are also dishonouring the religious office they hold. If they must lie, they should do so as ordinary individuals," he added.

Yadav further alleged that using symbols of faith to deceive devotees for political gain was a "great sin".

"When the immense spiritual power of Hanumangarhi can punish ordinary sinners, there is no need to say what fate awaits these great sinners," he said.

The SP chief also expressed complete support for Avimukteshwaranand's intervention. "We support the revered Shankaracharya's statement 100 per cent. The irreligious BJP leaders and their associates first looted and ruined Ayodhya, and are now defaming it by spreading lies. This has deeply hurt and angered the saints and seers of Ayodhya," he said.

Claiming that the people of Ayodhya believed the BJP was "settling scores" with the city's honour, Yadav added, "Every devotee should now say: Never again should there be the BJP."

The Samajwadi Party also shared a video of Avimukteshwaranand, in which he alleged that the Hanumangarhi controversy was being deliberately raised to deflect attention from the Ram temple donation scandal.

The backdrop to the latest political confrontation is the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The case has led to the arrest of eight accused, the resignation of two trust functionaries and an ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe, becoming a major political flashpoint between the ruling BJP and the Opposition in Uttar Pradesh.

The Hanumangarhi row has now widened that confrontation, with Opposition parties and religious leaders accusing the BJP of attempting to shift the public discourse away from the donation controversy, while the chief minister's original remarks continue to draw criticism from multiple quarters, including within the broader Hindutva fold.

With PTI inputs