Ayodhya GST Deputy Commissioner Resigns Amid Shankaracharya–Yogi Adityanath Row
A GST Deputy Commissioner posted in Ayodhya has resigned from service amid the ongoing controversy involving Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The officer said his decision was driven by anguish over what he described as attempts to divide the country on caste and religious lines and objectionable remarks made against the state’s elected leadership.
Prashant Kumar Singh, the officer who tendered his resignation on Tuesday, said he was stepping down in support of the Constitution, the government, and the country’s elected leaders.
According to news agency PTI, Singh expressed deep pain over developments originating from the “holy land of Prayagraj” in recent days, which he alleged were harming national unity.
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“Over the past few days, there have been despicable attempts to divide the nation based on caste and religion from the sacred land of Prayagraj.
I am deeply pained by this,” Singh was quoted as saying. He added that his resignation was meant as a mark of support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Constitution of India.
Singh specifically referred to remarks made by Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand against the chief minister, calling them inappropriate.
“From the holy land of Prayagraj, Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand has made objectionable remarks against our state’s elected leader, who is constitutionally holding the post,” he said.
Addressing concerns about his position as a government servant, Singh said that while he was bound by service rules, he could not remain indifferent.
“I am bound by the Uttar Pradesh service rules. I draw my salary from the state and my family depends on it. I am not an emotionless person,” he said, explaining that his conscience compelled him to take the step.
He added that if such conduct continued, he would oppose it while remaining within constitutional and service limits.
The resignation comes amid an escalating standoff between Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and the Uttar Pradesh administration during the Magh Mela in Prayagraj.
The Shankaracharya had criticised Chief Minister Adityanath after police stopped him and his followers from proceeding in a chariot for a holy dip in the Ganga on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya on January 18.
Following the incident, the Magh Mela administration issued a notice to Avimukteshwaranand, questioning his claim to the title of Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth in light of a Supreme Court order stating that no religious leader could be enthroned to the post until the disposal of an appeal.
Since then, the seer has been sitting on a protest outside his camp at the mela site, abstaining from food and water, and demanding an apology from senior officials and the police.
The controversy has also drawn political reactions, with Congress and Samajwadi Party workers staging protests in Prayagraj, alleging an insult to the Shankaracharya.
Senior leaders, including former Gujarat chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela, have visited the seer during his sit-in protest as the issue continues to stir political and administrative debate in Uttar Pradesh.
(With inputs from HT)
