As we inch closer to the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections, the opposition is leaving no stone unturned to create unnecessary noise around the incumbent Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
CM Yogi Adityanath is the Mahant of Gorakhpeeth and the current leader of the Nath Sampradaya. Every year, CM Yogi spends the Navaratri time during Dussehra at Gorakhnath Mandir in Gorakhpur and presides over the religious activities there.
As if their utter political humiliation and nationwide embarrassment was not enough, some Congress loyalists have now decided to teach a Yogi and the Mahant of Gorakhpeeth how to perform Hindu religious activities.
Rohan Gupta, the Chairman of Indian National Congress’ social media department sharing a cropped video claimed that the UP CM was performing Aarti ‘for the camera’.
Gupta Tweeted, “Brother, God is behind you!” with a video where Adityanath can be seen performing Aarti in the opposite direction of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
भाईसाहब भगवान आपके पीछे है ! pic.twitter.com/94pj9GKmAq
— Rohan Gupta (@rohanrgupta) October 17, 2021
The netizens were quick to school the IT Cell head of the ‘Chunavi Hindu’ party. Several social media users educated Gupta on the Hindu ritual of performing Aarti in all ten directions.
One user named Ankur Singh shared the uncropped video where Adityanath can be seen performing Aarti in all directions.
Was Yogi Adityanath doing aarti of Camera?
— Ankur (@iAnkurSingh) October 17, 2021
Lie
You can clearly see that he was doing aarti in all direction. Right, back and left pic.twitter.com/NZGvjdncGT
Another user shared a video posted by Jagannath Puri temple’s official handle where the priest can be seen performing morning Aarti towards the main door of the temple, facing opposite to the sanctum sanctorum.
yeh le dekh le namazi. pic.twitter.com/dmaghwWwiG
— Facts (@BefittingFacts) October 17, 2021
Several users recommended the part-time seasonal Hindus to visit temples adding that performing Aarti in all directions is a common sight and an old tradition.
In what seemed like another toolkit dished out to the Congress workers, party secretary of INC Puducherry Tweeted, “What a wonderful worship of Yogi Adityanath by Candle aarti. Aarti is not to God but to the camera. People are saying – camera live.”
What a wonderful worship of Yogi Adityanath by Candle aarti.
— ரவிதேவ் | Ravidev (@Ravidevt) October 17, 2021
Aarti is not to God but to the camera.
People are saying – camera live#SelfiYogi 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/AnB2tbljxL
Srinivas BV, National president of the Indian Youth Congress also proudly flaunted the detachment of Congress workers from Hindu customs.
“Is he performing aarti of the camera,” Tweeted Srinivas in Hindi.
ये आरती ‘कैमरे’ की उतारी जा रही है? pic.twitter.com/SxA7ziZiwU
— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) October 17, 2021
Congress worker claims CM Yogi is using ‘candles’, gets schooled
Yet another Congress worker, Gaurav Pandhi, the national coordinator of INC’s social media department mocked Adityanath alleging that the mahant used ‘candles’ to perform Aarti.
Pandhi Tweeted, “In a temple, why is he behaving like a father in a Church using candles and doing Aarti of camera-person and not the goddesses? This is the reality of fake Hindus who do politics in the name of religion. Since when did we start using candles for puja & aarti in temples.”
In a temple, why is he behaving like a father in a Church using candles and doing Aarti of camera-person and not the goddesses?
— Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) October 17, 2021
This is the reality of fake Hindus who do politics in the name of religion. Since when did we start using candles for puja & aarti in temples. pic.twitter.com/NVDiNbTSMW
Once again the netizens humbly urged Pandhi to visit a temple and also advised him to observe the video carefully as thick wicks of cotton threads soaked in Ghee were used to perform Aarti and not ‘candles’.
“These are the same people who have not visited the temple till date nor have they seen how the aarti is done? Firstly, it is a wick of ghee, not a candle, secondly, there might be a statue of a god in front of Shri Gorakshanath ji’s statue to whom Maharaj ji is showing aarti, you fool,” Tweeted a user in Hindi.
यह वही लोग है जो आज तक मंदिर न गए है और ना ही यह देखे है की आरती होती कैसे है?
— Aman Verma (@The_AmanVerma) October 17, 2021
पहली बात वह घी की बाती है कोई कैंडल नहीं, दूसरी बात श्री गोरक्षनाथ जी के प्रतिमा के सामने किसी भगवान की प्रतिमा होगी जिसकी महाराज जी गोरक्षनाथ जी के पास से खड़े होकर आरती दिखा रहे होंगे ! You fool.
What is ‘Chunavi Hindu’?
Several social media users have now started to call the Congress leaders and workers ‘Chunavi Hindus’ for their religious gimmicks right before the elections. The Gandhi family has been receiving flak for going on a temple run wearing a tilak, Janeu and breaking coconuts only at the time of elections in a bid to woo Hindu voters.
As the assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh and four other states are inching close, AICC national secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has once again started masquerading herself as a devout Hindu by visiting temples and loading herself with garlands.
Vadra has already visited temples like Kashi Vishwanath and Durgakunda in Varanasi and also claimed to have observed fast during the festival of Navratri. Interestingly, the newfound love for temple visits is rather new in the Gandhi siblings and is a recreation taken up only in recent years after repeated election defeats at the hands of BJP.
