Sangh unhappy over JK Govt’s decision to ban Abhinav Gupt yatra

The concluding function of the much-publicised “Abhinav Gupt” yatra was held peacefully this afternoon at the Kheer Bhawani temple in Ganderbal district.
However, the Sangh Parivar leadership is not convinced with the “immature” decision taken by the coalition regime, of which the BJP is a partner, to ban the yatra without going through the historical facts.
As the BJP ministers in the coalition were echoing the anti-yatra statements of their PDP colleagues in the government, Dattatreya Hosabale, Sah-Sarkaryawah of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) especially came to the Valley to attend the concluding function of the yatra to give a message to the saffron party.
The participation of Hosabale, who is the third in command in the RSS, in the concluding function of yatra is an indication that the Sangh Parivar had made it a point to ensure the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage.
The RSS had thrown its weight behind the yatra, being conducted under the aegis of Acharaya Abhinav Gupt Sheshadri Samroh Samiti, headed by Art of Living Foundation founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
After its annual executive meeting in December 2015, the RSS had announced to take off the yatra to celebrate the literary and spiritual contributions of Abhinav Gupt, a prolific Shaivite philosopher from Kashmir who is believed to have died on January 4, 1016.
Sources said the decision of the state government to ban the yatra had not gone down well with various organisations of the Sangh Parivar because the announcement to not allow the yatra was taken after pressure from Syed Ali Shah Geelani and other separatist groups of the Valley.
“The BJP ministers were asked to convey this message (the handling of the yatra) to the coalition partner PDP because there is a feeling (among Sangh Parivar) that succumbing before the separatists on such issues is giving a wrong impression,” said a senior Sangh Parivar leader on condition of anonymity.
“The BJP representatives in the government also failed to take up the issue effectively before the coalition partner,” he added.
On Thursday, when government spokesman and Education Minister Naeem Akhtar announced that no such yatra would be allowed in the state, none of the BJP ministers countered his statement.