Questioning Shirdi Sai Baba’s status as a Hindu god, Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati said that Sai Baba was someone “who used to eat meat and worshipped Allah, (and) a man like that can never be a Hindu god.” He also claimed that the devotees of Sai Baba use pictures of sanatan dharm gods and make money. “If they don’t use pictures of our god, who will give them anything,” he questioned. While he admitted that people have the freedom to worship, he said that Sai Baba tries to position himself as god which is not acceptable to them. “We accept only 5 gods. Anyone who positions himself as an addition isn’t acceptable to us,” he said. Shankaracharya also rubbished claims that he has raised objection over Sai Baba at the behest of Congress. “It is wrong to say that I am doing this at the behest of Congress. I am not a political person,” he said.
After Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati had said that Hindus should not worship Shirdi Sai Baba along with other Hindu gods, the Sai temple in Lucknow filed a petition in Allahabad High Court seeking an FIR against him. The court will hear the case on Friday. A case has also been filed against Shankaracharya Saraswati in Jaipur. The Naga seers have also sided with Shankaracharya. The Nagas have said if Shankaracharay is insulted they will take to the streets in protest. The Naga sadhus have also called the issue a religious war. However, Shankaracharya has claimed that he hasn’t asked the nagas to fight with him. “I haven’t asked nagas to come to fight with me but if they want to then they should. This is a religious war (dharmayudh),” he said. “We are okay with whatever idol they choose to worship. But if they place the idols of our Gods at the feet of Sai Baba, it is unacceptable to us,” said Shankaracharya supporter Swami Narendra Giri.
