MP News: '...Braj Mein Topi Wale Nazar Aayenge,' Dhirendra Shastri Stirs Controversy, Urges Hindus To Rise Above Caste

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bageshwar Dham’s famous storyteller Pandit Dhirendra Shastri has once again made headlines with his strong remarks during a public event in Haryana’s Hodal on Wednesday. 

Speaking at a Gopashtami programme, Shastri said, “Aaj wo 20 percent hain, aap 9 rajyon mein alpsankhyak ho gaye. Jis din wo 50 percent pahunch jayenge, to aapke Braj mein bhi wahi topi wale dikhai padenge.....(Today, they are 20 percent, and you are minorities in 9 states. The day they reach 50 percent, you will see people wearing caps even in Braj.)”

However, he quickly clarified that he did not mean any particular community, saying, “I did not say which cap, because I also wear one. To save India and its culture, we must rise above casteism and discrimination and live as Sanatanis.”

'They shouldn't have provoked me!'

Referring to those opposing his religious march, Shastri said, “People are threatening to move court to stop my yatra. They don’t know that I am not an easy man to deal with. They should not have provoked me. Since they have, I won’t let it go. In the next 15 to 20 years, India’s geography will change, and Indians will be seen struggling to protect their culture.”

He also reminded the audience of the 2012 Kosikalan riots, saying, “In your own Kosikalan, Hindus were stripped and chased on the streets. I have stepped out, risking my life - for you.”

The controversy began when Damodar Yadav, national convener of the Azad Samaj Party, accused Dhirendra Shastri of spreading ‘superstition and hypocrisy.’ Yadav claimed that Shastri’s proposed yatra aimed to create a ‘Hindu Rashtra,’ which he said was against India’s secular Constitution.

He further demanded a ban on the yatra, announced plans to write to the President and warned of a large protest in Bhopal if the event was not stopped.