BJP MP and actor Kangana Ranaut came out in support of Eknath Shinde after Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, called Maharashtra Chief Minister a "traitor" and a "betrayer".
Earlier this week, Swami Avimukteshwaranand met Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at the latter’s residence in Mumbai and said he was a "victim of betrayal".
"Uddhav Thackeray has been betrayed, and many people are anguished by it. I met him as per his request and told him that people's pain won't subside till he becomes the chief minister again," Shankaracharya told reporters.
"The one who betrays can't be a Hindu. The one who tolerates betrayal is a Hindu... The entire populace of Maharashtra is anguished by the betrayal and this was reflected in the recent (Lok Sabha) elections," he further said.
Taking a swipe at the Shankaracharya, the actress said Swami Avimukteshwaranand had "hurt the sentiments of all" by calling Shinde a "betrayer".
"In politics, it is very normal and constitutional to have alliances, treaties and division of a party. The Congress party was divided in 1907 and then again in 1971. If a politician does not do politics, will he sell golgappas?" Ranaut wrote on X.
"Religion also says that if the king himself starts exploiting his subjects, then treason is the ultimate religion," she said.
"Shankaracharya ji has misused his words and his influence... He has hurt the sentiments of all of us by using derogatory words against Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde by accusing him of being a traitor and a betrayer," the Mandi MP said.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi government of Uddhav Thackeray collapsed in June 2022 after Eknath Shinde’s split from Shiv Sena and subsequent alliance with BJP.
