The chief priest of Bageshwar Dham, Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, has emerged as a significant figure whose political clout extends well beyond his home state of Madhya Pradesh.
On Sunday, in a crowning glory for Shastri, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Bageshwar Dham to lay the foundation stone for the Bageshwar Dham Medical and Science Research Institute, a landmark project spearheaded by Shastri. A testament to Shastri’s expanding clout was Modi referring to him as a “younger brother”.
Located in Chhatarpur in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, Bageshwar Dham, under Shastri’s leadership, has grown into a sprawling religious complex, drawing lakhs of devotees. Here, Shastri claims to possess supernatural abilities, such as reading devotees’ minds and solving their problems without being told their issues.
Shastri’s political stand too has evolved significantly. Initially, his discourses, devoid of overt political messaging, focused on devotion to Hanuman and personal problem-solving. However, over the past two years, Shastri has embraced a hardline Hindutva stance, branding himself a “Hindu Rashtra yodha (warrior for a Hindu nation)”. He has called for India to be declared a Hindu nation, urged Hindus to unite against conversions, and made provocative statements like comparing unveiled women to “vacant plots”.
Leaders from both the Congress and BJP have tried to court Shastri, whose influence is seen to be significant in Madhya Pradesh’s Bundelkhand region, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. With the Congress struggling, courting shastri has proven to be more beneficial for the BJP.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.