"There Are Kathavachaks Who Charge Rs 50 Lakh": Akhilesh Yadav Jabs Dhirendra Shastri
Amid an ongoing controversy over the assault on a non-Brahmin ' kathavachak ' (religious storyteller) in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday took a jibe at religious leader Acharya Dhirendra Shastri and said there are many storytellers who charge Rs 50 lakh.
"Many kathavachaks charge Rs 50 lakh for an event. Can anyone afford Dhirendra Shastri for a katha (religious ceremony) at their residence? He takes the money under the table," he told reporters in Hindi.
Mr Yadav said he doesn't know how much Mr Shastri, also known as Bageshwar Baba, charges for storytelling, but claimed "it is not free".
There was no immediate response from Mr Shastri.
'Kathavachak' Row In UP
Akhilesh Yadav's charge comes days after two Bhagwat Katha preachers, Mukut Mani Yadav, and his aide, Sant Singh Yadav, were allegedly tonsured and humiliated in a village in Etawah.
The incident on June 22 allegedly took place when it was found that they belonged to the Yadav caste.
The incident triggered widespread protests in the village and led to the arrest of four accused -- Ashish Tiwari, Uttam Kumar Awasthi, Nikki Awasthi and Manu Dubey -- all residents of the village.
Akhilesh Yadav, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, had shared a video of the incident, which showed the accused purportedly saying, "You are getting punished for coming to the village of Brahmins."
He has attacked the ruling BJP over the alleged assault and said the incident was part of a larger conspiracy to divide Uttar Pradesh along caste lines by bringing in "planted elements" from neighbouring states.
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