Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday slammed self-styled godman ‘Baba Bageshwar’ Dhirendra Shastri  for making a statement that “Bihar will set ‘Hindu Rashtra’ on fire”, saying his statement has ‘no merit’.
“After the freedom struggle, the constitution came and was given a name acceptable to all… Are all those who say this born during the freedom struggle?… What is the need to say this? You like any religion. But the name change proposals are surprising. Is that even possible?” Nitish Kumar said while commenting on Dhirendra Shastri’s comment.

“In Bihar, we ensure that everyone gets the right to worship the way they want, but one should not interfere with the faith of another. If someone says something of their own, it has no value,” Mr Kumar added.

Meanwhile, former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD National President Lalu Prasad Yadav, when asked about Dhirendra Shastri not being prevented from performing in Patna, replied, “Who is Baba Bageshwar? Is he Baba?”

His son and Bihar Minister Tej Pratap Yadav lashed out at Mr Shastri and said he did not know any such baba but only ‘Devraha baba’ and his birth also took place with his blessings. “…This baba is abusing Biharis, calling them ‘Bakal’. Bihar has ‘Krishna Raj’ & ‘Mahagathbandhan Raj’ … This politics is being done to divide the country…,” alleged Tej Pratap.

Dhirendra Shastri reportedly made the comments while addressing an event in Patna on Monday, a day after canceling the ‘Divya Darbar’ event.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ram Kripal Yadav accused the Nitish Kumar-led government of mismanagement after hundreds of devotees fell ill during the ‘Divya Darbar’ session of Dhirendra Shastri in Naubatpur area of Bihar’s Patna on Monday.

Mr Yadav said that during Sunday’s session, hundreds of devotees who attended the Divya Durbar of Bageshwar Dham’s Durendra Shastri fell ill due to high humidity and overcrowding inside the hall.

Meanwhile, after the incident, Dhirendra Shastri asked devotees to avoid large number of visitors due to high temperature in the district. The four-day Hanumant Katha event will conclude on May 17, the organizers had said.