Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday took potshots at self-styled godman Dhirendra Shastri, saying he takes money “under the table” when called over to read a katha at people’s homes.
Akhilesh Yadav’s remarks came amid an ongoing uproar over the alleged humiliation of two Bhagavat ‘kathavachaks’ (religious storyteller) of the Yadav community in Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah district.
“There are many Kathavachaks who charge ₹50 lakh. Can anyone invite Dhirendra Shastri to their home for a katha? That baba will take money under the table. Please find out if he does or not. I’m sure he doesn’t do it for free,” Akhilesh Yadav can be heard saying in a video going viral.
Dhirendra Shastri is a self-styled spiritual preacher who became a sensation over the past years. Until the time of writing this report, there has been no reaction from Dhirendra Shastri on Akhilesh Yadav’s remarks.
Row over kathavachaks
Violence erupted in Etawah ‘s Dandarpur village last week after two kathavachaks were allegedly humiliated, tonsured and forced to rub their noses at the feet of women, after villagers found out that they were not Brahmins.