Congress MP Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday said the "mysterious" death of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad president Mahant Narendra Giri shows the misuse of offerings made at temples.
The seer, who was the president of the largest organisation of sadhus in India, was found hanging at Baghambari Math in Uttar Pradesh by his disciples on Monday.
The late seer's disciple Anand Giri was detained in Haridwar after a purported suicide note was found, in which the seer wrote that Anand Giri was trying to blackmail him using a morphed picture of a woman. A case of abetting suicide was lodged against Anand Giri.
"It is said that Narendra Giri took the extreme step leaving behind a suicide note which the UP police is investigating. But, what he wrote in his suicide note is a matter of concern that how money offered in temples and "maths" are being misused...How corruption is marring the purchase and sale of property (of temples)," Mr Singh told reporters in Sehore, about 40 km from Bhopal.
Mr Singh said some pictures of Anand Giri surfaced recently showed he wanted to become a film star and not a seer.
"A person has to sacrifice everything when he becomes a seer. Our religion moves forward with sacrifice. Salvation is attained through sacrifice. But, he (Anand Giri) was enjoying good vehicles. Even women complained when he had gone to Australia," the Rajya Sabha MP said.
Mr Singh said Anand Giri even made a "fake video of his guru with women".
"Is this Hindutva? We are concerned about the way religion is being misused. Corruption is also there in the purchase of land for Ram temple (in Ayodhya)," he said.
Mr Singh claimed Narendra Giri himself wrote (in the suicide note) that Anand Giri used to take money from the offerings made to the "math".
"This is not good for religion," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Helplines | |
---|---|
Vandrevala Foundation for Mental Health | 9999666555 or help@vandrevalafoundation.com |
TISS iCall | 022-25521111 (Monday-Saturday: 8 am to 10 pm) |
(If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.) |
Congress' Digvijaya Singh Files Petition Alleging Irregularities In Lok Sabha Polls "Learn From RSS": Congress' Digvijaya Singh Tells Youth Party Workers 'Ganga Aarti', Temple Visit: PM Modi's 1st Varanasi Visit After Poll Win In Pics Nurse Raped, Killed On Way Home, Body Found 9 Days Later In UP "Took Advantage Of His Addiction": 5 Charged Over Matthew Perry's Death Rahul Gandhi's Seat At Red Fort Triggers Fresh Congress Attack On BJP Ukraine, Russia Both Claim Advances In Kursk Region Gaza Ceasefire Talks Underway In Qatar As Deaths Top 40,000 Trump To Hold Press Conference, His Campaign Adds Senior Advisers Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.