‘Political stunt’: Controversy erupts as idols of Sai Baba removed from UP temples

In a major development that could trigger religious controversy, idols of Sai Baba, an Indian guru and philanthropist, were removed from several temples in Uttar Pradesh’s holy city of Varanasi. The temples did away with the idols after a Hindu group raised objections to their presence and disputed Sai Baba’s proclamation as a god. Various temples in Varanasi removed the idols, including the famous Bada Ganesh Temple.

The campaign against Sai Baba idols is being spearheaded by two saffron outfits: the Sanatan Rakshak Dal (SRD) and the 'Brahmin Sabha'. “We are not against Sai Baba but his idols have no place in the temples,” SRD president Ajay Sharma said in Varanasi on Tuesday.

“Sai Baba's disciples can worship him at a temple dedicated to him only......some people, who did not have knowledge of Sanatan Dharma, had installed Sai Baba's idols in other temples also,” he added.

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The SRD president said that the idol of a dead man cannot be installed inside a temple, something he said was not permitted in Hinduism.

'It is not permitted in the Sanatan Dharma.....the idols of only five gods and goddesses - Surya, Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and Ganesha- could be installed in the temples and worshipped,'' he was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald.

Sharma stressed that idols will be removed from more temples in the coming days.

Earlier, Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopananda Sarswati had voiced his opposition to worshipping Sai Baba, saying he should not be seen as a Hindu god.

''There is no mention of Sai Baba in the ancient scriptures,'' he had said. Acharya Dheerendra Shastri of Bageshwar Dham had also said that Sai Baba could be worshipped as a 'Mahatma' but not as a god.

A political controversy has already erupted over the incident. UP’s principal opposition party Samajwadi Party (SP) termed the action as ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) political stunt.

(With inputs from agencies)