Sanatana Dharma Raksha, a group in Uttar Pradesh, has been removing idols of Sai Baba from Hindu temples and replacing them with other Hindu deities, such as Goddess Lakshmi.
A priest in UP explained, "Sai Baba is not a deity of Sanatana Dharma. He comes from another religion and is associated with his samadhi, which is not a practice in Hinduism. It is not typical to pray to a spirit residing in a samadhi. Furthermore, his idol is not placed in any mosque, so why should it be in a Hindu temple?"
This has sparked widespread anger among Sai Baba devotees. It is well-known that many Hindu households have great reverence for Sai Baba.
Now, the question arises, as a netizen pointed out: "Will this practice of removing idols from Hindu temples, where other gods are placed, be limited to UP, or will it spread to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as well? If so, as a leader of 'Sanatana Dharma Parirakshana,' which Pawan Kalyan claims to represent, will he take the lead in removing Sai Baba idols? Can he dare to do that?"
This is indeed an interesting point. Since Pawan Kalyan claims to be a follower of Sanatana Dharma, he may be morally expected to support the North Indian Sanatani groups that are boycotting Sai Baba idols from their temples.
If not, he would need to explain why he disagrees with them and why their stance is wrong. By doing so, Pawan Kalyan could reveal a division within Sanatana Dharma, where believers may not follow a single unified ideology.
It remains to be seen what Pawan Kalyan will decide.
Will he maintain his Sanatana Dharma image and face challenges like these, or will he distance himself from this persona in the near future?
