Newly elected BJP MP Kangana Ranaut on Wednesday backed Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde following the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath’s “betrayal” jibe. Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati recently said that in Hinduism, treachery is considered a sin, and “those who betray cannot be Hindu”.

The Shankaracharya was referring to the fall of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in 2022.

Eknath Shinde was a minister in Uddhav Thackeray’s cabinet before he led a rebellion, split the Shiv Sena, and became the chief minister with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Actor-politician Ranaut, however, defended Shinde, saying “if a politician does not do politics in politics, will he sell golgappas”.

“In politics, it is very normal and constitutional to have alliances, treaties, and division of a party. Congress party was divided in 1907 and then again in 1971,” the Queen actor wrote on X.

“We are Hindus and followers of the Sanatan Dharma that believes in ‘punya’ (virtue) and ‘paap’ (sin), wherein ‘vishwasghat’ (betrayal) is said to be among the biggest sins. The same happened here (in Maharashtra),” the Shankaracharya, who was in Mumbai at the request of Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, said.

“We told him (Thackeray) how we are anguished over the betrayal done to him. Our pain will not end till he becomes the chief minister again,” he said.

The Shankaracharya said that the people of Maharashtra are also distressed and that was proved in the Lok Sabha election results. The MVA won 30 seats in the state, while the BJP-led Mahayuti could manage only 17.

“Betrayal cannot be tolerated. Breaking a government midway in its tenure and insulting the public mandate is not acceptable. We are not concerned with politics, but Hinduism does not accept such treachery,” the Shankaracharya said.

The Mandi MP claimed that “Shankaracharya ji has misused his words and his influence and religious education”. “Religion also says that if the king himself starts exploiting his subjects then treason is the ultimate religion,” Ranaut wrote in Hindi.

She also said that Shankaracharya “has hurt the sentiments of all of us” by accusing Eknath Shinde of being “a traitor and a betrayer”.

“Shankaracharya Ji is insulting the dignity of the Hindu religion by saying such petty and petty things,” she said.

In September 2020, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished part of Kangana Ranaut’s office in a bungalow located in Mumbai’s Pali Hill. The actor claimed that this action was in retaliation for her criticism of the then Maharashtra government and the ruling Shiv Sena.

Following actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, she accused Uddhav Thackeray of colluding with the ‘Bollywood mafia’ and ordering the demolition of her office as an act of vengeance.

Kangana approached the Bombay High Court against the demolition and sought Rs 2 crore in compensation from the BMC for the illegal demolition of her bungalow.

The Bombay High Court set aside an order by BMC to demolish her Mumbai bungalow and held that she is entitled to compensation.