Stop beef export to prove commitment as Hindu sympathiser: Avimukteshwaranand to Adityanath
Varanasi (UP) (PTI): Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, who was allegedly prevented from taking a holy dip at the Sangam in Parayagraj, on Friday told Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath to stop beef export from the state and declare cow as "Rashtra Mata" to prove his commitment as a "Hindu sympathiser".
The seer had left the Magh Mela ground last Wednesday "with a heavy heart", ending his sit-in protest outside the Shankaracharya camp since January 18 over the issue of not being able to take the dip at Sangam -- the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati river.
Speaking to reporters in Varanasi on Friday, the seer said, "When I sat there for 11 days, no official asked me to take a dip. Now it is too late. I will go to the Magh Mela next year and take a respectful bath."
He also issued a challenge to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath, asking him to stop cow slaughter within 40 days to prove his commitment as a "Hindu sympathiser".
"Our credentials were asked for, and we submitted them. Now you have to give proof of being a Hindu sympathiser," Avimukteshwaranand said.
"The first step of being a Hindu is love for cows. Declare the cow as 'Rashtra Mata' and stop the export of cow meat from Uttar Pradesh. Then we will accept that you are a Hindu sympathiser," he added.
On January 18, Swami Avimukteshwaranand was riding a palanquin to the Sangam on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, when a dispute broke out as administrative and police officials asked him to dismount and proceed for the ritual bath on foot, citing heavy crowds.
The Mela administration alleged that the Shankaracharya and his supporters broke a barricade on a pontoon bridge and moved towards the ghats, creating serious difficulties for the police in managing the situation.
Amid the row, the mela administration issued a notice asking him to explain how he was using the title of Shankaracharya of the Jyotish Peeth. The notice referred to a civil appeal pending before the Supreme Court, in which the court had ordered that until the appeal is disposed of, no religious leader can be consecrated as the Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth.
Hitting back, the seer had questioned how camps of two Shankaracharyas from Puri were allowed at the same mela. He had asked why the mela administration failed to notice a board claiming the presence of another Shankaracharya of Puri at the fair ground.
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We have left them alone, abandoned: Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola on Gaza crisis
Barcelona: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on Thursday delivered a strongly worded speech condemning what he described as the “silence of global leaders” over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying Palestinians had been “left alone and abandoned”.
Guardiola was speaking at the ‘Act X Palestine’ benefit concert held at the Palau Sant Jordi arena in Barcelona, his birth city. The event was organised to raise funds for humanitarian aid and cultural reconstruction in Palestine.
Addressing a packed audience, the Catalan coach took to the stage draped in a traditional black-and-white scarf and opened his remarks with “Good evening”, followed by the Islamic greeting “Assalamualaikum”. Known for his outspoken views on human rights issues, Guardiola said the images emerging from Gaza over the past two years had deeply affected him, particularly those involving children separated from or searching for their parents amid the destruction.
Referring to widely circulated videos and photographs, he spoke about children recording themselves from beneath rubble and asking where their mothers were, saying many of them still do not know whether their parents are alive. According to international media reports, Guardiola described the situation as the result of “decades of oppression” and criticised world leaders for failing to act.
“I think we have left them alone, abandoned,” he said, adding that Palestinians must be wondering why the world has not come to help them. He accused powerful nations of hypocrisy, saying leaders who remain safe in comfort are willing to send innocent people to kill other innocent people. “The powerful are cowards,” he said, drawing sustained applause from the audience.
Guardiola underlined that his remarks were rooted in basic human values. “All of this is simply about humanity,” he said, adding that humanity, in his view, was precisely what was missing in the response to Palestine. He concluded his brief but emotional address by urging the audience to reflect on the message and work towards a more just and compassionate society.
During the speech, Guardiola reportedly drew parallels between the devastation in Gaza and Barcelona’s own past, recalling the bombing of the city during the Spanish Civil War in 1938. He suggested that historical memory should compel people to stand against suffering and injustice elsewhere.
The ‘Act X Palestine’ concert featured performances by a range of artists, including Bad Gyal, Lluís Llach and Palestinian singers Zeyne and Lina Makoul. Proceeds from the event are set to support cultural centres across Palestine through the Palestinian Performing Arts Network.
Guardiola has repeatedly spoken out on the Gaza conflict in recent years. In October 2025, he publicly urged people to pressure governments to take immediate action and voiced support for pro-Gaza demonstrations in Barcelona. Earlier, in June 2025, after receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester, he said the situation in Gaza caused him deep personal pain.
Videos of Guardiola’s latest speech have since gone viral on social media, drawing millions of views and reactions across the world.
