Sakshi Maharaj: Infamous BJP MP To Secure Lodh Community Votes (image:facebook.com/DrSakshiMaharaj)
Swami Sachidanand Hari, popularly known as Sakshi Maharaj is a religious leader and BJP politician. In the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Sakshi Maharaj, the sitting MP will contest from the Unnao constituency for the third time.
Sakshi Maharaj belongs to the Lodh community which falls under OBC category in Uttar Pradesh. He is a controversial figure, not only for the communal remarks, but also for the history of rape and murder allegations associated with him.
In Uttar Pradesh, Maharaj enjoys large following, especially in Etah, where he hails from. Besides, he runs large network of educational institutions and ashrams across the state under the banner of Sakshi Maharaj Group.
Sakshi Maharaj is a party-hopper. He started his political career with BJP – elected from the Mathura once, and twice from Farrukhabad. When he was denied Lok Sabha ticket by BJP in the 1999 polls, he switched allegiance to the Samajwadi Party. He, then, criticised BJP for its policies not favouring minorities and backward communities. For a brief period, he associated with UP chief minister Kalyan Singh’s Rashtriya Kranti Party as well and in 2012, he returned to the BJP fold just before the assembly elections.
In 2000, Sakshi Maharaj was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha by then SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav. When he got caught in a sting operation on the subject of misuse of MP funds, he got expelled from the Rajya Sabha in March 2006.
He has a history of criminal charges. In 2000, a college principal from Etah lodged a police complaint alleging Sakshi Maharaj and two of his nephews of gang-raping her. Though he had to spend a month in Tihar jail on rape charges, he got acquitted citing lack of evidence. Even before also, a rape complaint was filed against him, but he got a clean chit from the police report.
In 1997, while he helmed as Farrukhabad MP, his name came up one of the complicit in the killing of Brahm Dutt Dwivedi, a senior BJP leader. But, eventually he was let off. In 2013, Maharaj and his brother were alleged in the murder of Sujata Verma, his close associate. Since he booked for murder, Sakshi Maharaj has been on the run. However, he pleaded innocent in court later, and was not sentenced. To surprise to many, BJP gave Lok Sabha ticket to Sakshi Mahajan in the 2014 polls, and even more surprisingly, he won from the Unnao seat. Following, in 2019 general elections also, he retained the seat.
Besides criminal charges, Sakshi Maharaj name often hits headlines for his controversial statements including hate speeches as well. Whether it be eulogizing Nathuram Godse as martyr or spewing Islamophobic comments or urging Hindu women to protect their religion by begetting at least four children this tainted BJP leader is always in news.
