Shankaracharya meets Bangladeshi Hindus, assures to raise concerns with Indian govt

Varanasi: Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati on Wednesday met a group of Bangladeshi Hindus here and assured them of raising their concerns with the government.

The 12-member group of Hindus from Bangladesh met the Shankaracharya and sought his intervention to ensure the protection of their religion and requested help to have them settled in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has witnessed large-scale violence, including against minority Hindus, since the change of government earlier this year after major protests.

Swami Avimukteshwaranand assured the visiting group that he would write to the government, urging action on the matter.

"Hindus in Bangladesh are being persecuted solely because of their faith. These families shared their grievances with me, and I will convey their concerns to the Indian government," the Shankaracharya said.

Asked by reporters about Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat's recent remarks, the Shankaracharya accused him of making politically motivated statements.

"Bhagwat has claimed that some people raise these issues to become leaders, but I want to clarify that ordinary Hindus do not aspire to become leaders. He does not truly understand the plight of common Hindus," Swami Avimukteshwaranand said.

"When Bhagwat and his associates were not in power, they were eager to build the Ram temple. Now that they are in power, such statements are unnecessary," he added.

He further remarked, "Mohan Bhagwat does not understand the pain of the common Hindu." Uttar Pradesh of late has witnessed several litigations filed in various courts related to temple-mosque disputes from Sambhal's Shahi Jama to Budaun's Jama Masjid Shamsi and Atala Masjid in Jaunpur, where Hindu petitioners have sought permission to offer prayers, claiming that ancient temples existed at the sites where the mosques now stand.

The RSS chief had on December 19 expressed concern over resurgence of several temple-mosque disputes and asserted that certain individuals, after the construction of Ayodhya's Ram temple, seem to believe they can become "leaders of Hindus" by raking up such issues.

Delivering a lecture on 'India - The Vishwaguru', at Sahjeevan Vyakhyanmala (lecture series) at Pune in Maharashtra, Bhagwat advocated for an inclusive society and said the world needs to be shown that the country can live together in harmony.