Yadav urges border restrictions
Yadav, a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, accused Shastri of offending the religious sentiments of the Yaduvanshi and Raghuvanshi clans. His post on X did not name the preacher but declared: "Now he will neither be allowed to enter Braj nor Awadh. Neither a true Raghuvanshi nor a true Yaduvanshi will welcome him".
He proposed placing a sign at the state's border with Madhya Pradesh to announce that anyone committing blasphemy would be denied entry to Uttar Pradesh. Yadav also raised the possibility of closing the Nepal border to prevent Shastri from entering through that route.
Unless the matter was addressed, Yadav warned, other communities could face similar remarks. He accused political and religious figures of drawing gods into personal disputes and asked whether an outsider was encouraging someone to challenge a religious or political authority in Uttar Pradesh.
"Why are political people bringing God into their mutual clashes?" he asked.
The comparison and Shastri's apology
The dispute stems from a Ram Katha in Karera, in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district. IBTimes India dated the event to October 29, 2026. During the discourse, Shastri contrasted Lord Ram's upright stance with Lord Krishna's posture, which bends in three places. His comparison also referred to Krishna's "tribhanga" posture, his flute and Vrindavan, and extended to Ayodhya and Vrindavan.
A video of the remarks spread on social media, drawing objections from seers and Krishna devotees in Mathura and Vrindavan. They said the two deities were equally revered and should not be compared in that way.
Shastri, the head priest of Bageshwar Dham, addressed the controversy in a video posted to social media from Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday. He said he had not intended to distinguish between Lord Ram and Lord Krishna and offered an apology if his comments had hurt anyone's religious sentiments.
His next religious discourse is scheduled for November 17-20, 2026, in Kunda, Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh. According to Bhaskar English, Raja Bhaiya is organizing the event.
