'Ban beef export in 40 days': Avimukteshwaranand asks Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath to ‘prove’ he is Hindu

Will the dream of establishing Ram Rajya be achieved through foreign exchange earned by exporting beef? asks the seer

Lucknow: Within days of leaving the ‘Magh Mela’ (an annual ritual on the bank of the Ganga) in protest against refusal of the authorities to allow him to proceed to the ‘sangam’ (the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Sarswati rivers) at Prayagraj in his chariot for the holy dip on Mauni Amavasya a few days back, prominent Hindu seer Swami Avimukteshwaranand on Friday declared an open war against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and asked the latter to "prove" that he was a ‘Hindu’.

‘’One does not become a Hindu merely by wearing saffron dress and delivering speeches…the first step in Hinduism is ‘Go seva’ (serving the cows) and ‘dharm raksha’ (protecting the religion),’’ Avimukteshwaranand told reporters in Varanasi.

‘’UP accounts for 40 per cent share in India’s total beef exports...will the dream of establishing Ram Rajya be achieved through foreign exchange earned by exporting beef?’’ he added.

‘’Export of bovine meat should be completely banned in UP...cow should be declared ‘Rajyamata’...you (Adityanath) have 40 days to do so…it will be presumed that you (Adityanath) are a fake Hindu if you are unable to do so,’’ the seer said.

He also claimed that the exported meat was categorised under ‘buffalo meat’ though it contained ‘cow meat’.

The seer said he would convene a meeting of the saints and seers in Lucknow in March to discuss the matter. ‘’If the government fails to issue an order banning export of beef, then we will be forced to declare Adityanath a nakli (fake) Hindu,’’ he said.

Adityanath had earlier, in a veiled manner, termed the seer as 'Kalnemi' (a relative of the mythological demon king Ravana who put on the dress of a sadhu and tried to prevent Lord Hanuman from bringing medicine to treat Lord Rama's brother Laxman).

He also termed the new UGC regulation on promotion of equity in higher educational institutions as a "threat" to Sanatan Dharma.

Avimuktehswaranand, who had also staged a dharna in protest against alleged ill-treatment of his disciples at the mela, had earlier attacked Adityanath saying that the fight today was between "asli" (real) and "nakli" (fake) Hindus. 

‘’What happened during the Mughal period is happening today,’’ he said. The seer also said that "anti-Sanatan" people had no right to remain in power.

The authorities refuted the allegations and said he was not allowed to go to the sangam in his chariot as the area was already very crowded with devotees on Mauni Amavasya.