BJP leaders watch ‘The Kerala Story’, line up to greet preacher

Religious preacher from Madhya Pradesh, Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, also known as Bageshwar Baba, arrived in Bihar’s capital Patna on Saturday morning and was received by top BJP leaders in Bihar.

Religious preacher from Madhya Pradesh, Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, also known as Bageshwar Baba, the 20-something godman who has of late remained in the news for various reasons, arrived in Bihar’s capital Patna on Saturday morning and was received at the airport by a large number of supporters and prominent BJP leaders like union minister Giriraj Singh and Manoj Tiwari.

Union ministers Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Giriraj Singh, BJP MPs Ravishankar Prasad, Ramkripal Yadav and others at Dhirendra Shastri’s programme at Naubatpur on Saturday. (Santosh Kumar/HT)

While Tiwari, a Lok Sabha member from Delhi, chose to drive Bageshwar Baba’s car, Singh lashed out at the ruling “Mahagathbandhan” in Bihar for opposing the godman’s visit “to appease its own vote bank”.

“What wrong has the Baba done in advocating a Hindu Rashtra? Where will the Hindus go if they do not find a voice in their own homeland? The Hindus account for 80 per cent of the population and with the changes in demography, they stare at a grim future,” Giriraj Singh said.

Shastri will be camping at Taret village in Naubatpur block in Patna district, where he will hold a religious programme till May 17.

On Saturday evening, top BJP leaders from Bihar, including union minister Ashwini Choubey, state BJP chief Samrat Choudhary and union minister Giriraj Singh were present at Taret in attendance for the religious event.

Several RJD leaders had opposed Shastri’s programme in Bihar, saying he would face punitive action in case he tries to make any provocative statements and hurt religious feelings.

State RJD chief Jagdanand Singh and environment and forest minister Tej Pratap Yadav too had slammed Shastri.

Tej Pratap Yadav had threatened to gherao the godman upon arrival at the airport while education minister Chandra Shekhar has warned that strict action will be taken if Bageshwar Baba said anything that was considered detrimental to social peace.

Meanwhile, the district administration has deployed heavy security in and around Taret village.

Earlier in the day, BJP leaders, including state unit president Samrat Chaudhary, former union minister Ravishankar Prasad, Giriraj Singh and others, watched a special screening of The Kerala Story in Patna but avoided commenting on the results in Karnataka where Congress was set for a decisive victory in assembly polls.