Religious leaders in Uttarakhand are closing ranks around Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, whose fiery remarks on the tricolor have ignited fierce political and social backlash. The Bageshwar Dham seer declared that introducing a moon emblem to India’s flag would erase identities like Sharma and Verma, insisting Hindus define themselves by dharma, not jati.
Mahant Lokesh Das of Rishikesh stepped forward decisively. ‘Unity is survival,’ he proclaimed. ‘Parties have caste-carved us, but Muslims remain one. Recall Kashi: three bricks down, and masses mobilized. Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand? Dragged publicly, yet silence from so-called caste champions.’
His critique cut deep: ‘Those begging Brahmin votes now hide. Caste fractures empower rivals—imagine the tricolor morphing.’ Lokesh Das hailed Shankaracharyas as Sanatana’s spine, calling for unwavering solidarity against attacks on spiritual giants.
From the Big Akhara, Mahamandaleshwar Hari Chetanand contextualized the uproar with Bangladesh’s anti-Hindu pogroms—beatings, burnings, displacements. ‘Shastri, a master storyteller and thinker, crafted this message thoughtfully. Dismissing it is folly,’ he asserted.
As reactions pour in, this saintly backing amplifies Shastri’s call, exposing casteism’s perils amid global Hindu vulnerabilities. It poses a rallying cry: transcend divisions to safeguard faith, flag, and future.