Ujjain : The Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad (ABAP) elected Niranjani Akhada, Allahabad’s head Narendra Giri as its new president. Likewise, Dashnaam Juna Akhada, Haridwar’s head Hari Giri was elected unopposed as the general secretary of the ABAP. Soon after the election, these functionaries said, the successful hosting of the Simhatha Fair-2016 will be their priority and they will also leave no stone unturned to bring representatives of all the 13 akhadas under one umbrella.
The election to the ABAP, which is the highest body of the seer community, assumed a great significance in the wake of prevailing situation. On one hand, the ABAB elections were pending for about a decade due to various disputes. Most of the 13 akhadas reportedly rejected the leadership of the outgoing president Mahant Gyandas of Ayodhya. On the behest of Mahant Gyandas, the local seer community belonging to the Vaishnav akhadas, have launched the protest against the local administration under the banner of Ramadal Akhada Parishad (RAP). Secondly, the emergency meeting of the ABAP was summoned for the first time in Ujjain and that too on the eve of a meeting convened by the Simhastha Fair Administration. This meeting has been convened on Sunday at 11 am here at the Mahakal Pravachan Hall. Three Vaishnav akhadas have already announced to boycott this meeting on the call of RAP. Rest 10 akhadas of the Shaiv sect will attend the meeting.
The ABAP’s meeting lasted for about three hours at the Ram Ghat located Bada Udasin Akhada. Prominent representatives of the 10 Shaiv akhadas were present. According to newly-elected spokesman of the ABAP, Kothari Mohandas of Panchayati Akhada, Bada Udasin (Haridwar), in all 20 representatives, including two each representatives of the 10 Shaiv akhadas, took part in the meeting. These representatives unanimously elected four office-bearers for the term of five years. Niranjani Akhada, Allahabad’s head Narendra Giri and Dashnaam Juna Akhada, Haridwar’s head Hari Giri were elected unopposed as the president and general secretary, respectively. Mahant Balwat Singh of Nirmal Panchayati Akhada, Haridwar was elected as the vice-president. Bada Udasin Akhada, Ujjain’s Mahant Maheshwardas was made the manager of Simhastha Fair-2016. The exectutive will be announced soon, Kothari Mohandas added.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in the night, the newly-elected ABAP president Narendra Giri declined that the so-called rift among the Shaiv and Vaishnav akhadas will lead to any major dispute during the Simhastha Fair. “No question arises with regard to neglect of the Vaishnav akhadas…for us importance of all 13 akhadas is more important than the Mahant Gyandas…we would try our level best to make coordination with the six top representatives of the Vaishhav akhadas,” he elaborated.
RAP to stage dharna today
The RAP has announced to stage a symbolic dharna on Sunday. RAP general secretary Mahant Digvijaydas informed that the dharna will commence from 10 am and will continue till 12 noon.The RAP representatives will stage this dharna outside the meeting venue, that is Mahakal Pravachan Hall. He informed that the 18 Vaishnav akhadas have decided to boycott the meeting as neither Mahant Gyandas nor the representatives of the RAP have been invited for the meeting by the local authorities.
