New Delhi: Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, who has been facing severe criticism from several quarters for his controversial remark over Sai Baba, has now warned Prime Minister Narendra Modi of what might happen if he'll pay visit to Shirdi.
Swaroopanand has asked Narendra Modi to cancel his proposed visit to Shirdi else he may lose the protection given to him by celestial gods.
The Shankaracharya, however, clarified that he has no issues with the Prime Minister, saying, ‘how can a man who refused to wear a skull cap pray at a grave'.
Recently, the Shankaracharya had described Sai Baba as a Muslim ascetic who could not be worshipped like a Hindu deity and said his campaign to protect the Hindu religion will continue even if he is sent to jail.
"Sai Baba was a Muslim 'Fakir' who cannot be compared to Hindu deities or worshipped like them," he had remarked.
Meanwhile, a local court in Madhya Pradesh had last Friday issued summons against Swaroopanand over his contentious remark. Rajesh Shivsangia, the complainant, alleged that the Shankaracharya committed offence under Section 298 of Indian Penal Code (hurting religious sentiments) with his statement that Sai Baba, the 19th century saint, was no god, and therefore should not be worshipped.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Deepak Kumar Pande issued a fresh summons to Swaroopanand Saraswati and directed him to appear on September 20, said complainant's lawyer Ashwin Kumar Adhyaru.
A Shiv Sena MP had recently invited Narendra Modi to visit the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple in Ahmednagar. There are reports that the Prime Minister has accepted the invitation and is likely to visit the shrine soon.
