New Delhi: Controversial preacher Dhirendra Krishna Shastri’s unpalatable comments comparing Hindu deities Ram and Krishna, coupled with Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav’s explicit call for a complete boycott of his upcoming events in Uttar Pradesh, has thrust into the spotlight a growing political trend in the state. Politicians – particularly those aligned with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dispensation – are deploying religious storytellers (kathavachaks) to mobilise massive crowds in the months leading up to the assembly elections.On November 4, Akhilesh Yadav issued a formal appeal to the state government and administration regarding public events scheduled across November and December in districts including Ambedkar Nagar, Pratapgarh, Gonda, Jhansi, Lucknow, and Agra. The former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh demanded that permission be strictly denied to any controversial individual capable of vitiating social harmony, in a clear reference to Shastri, who has since making his remarks triggered a number of police complaints and a defamation suit against himself.Yadav has termed Shastri’s comments as blasphemy. “A humble request is extended to the governance-administration as well as to all organisers and sponsors of their programmes that they should maintain their distance from such so-called storytellers. There are several such figures who may adopt the attire and speech of a narrator, but storytelling and discourse are merely their trade. They frequently make vulgar displays of their material achievements. Such people are perpetually prone to senseless talk in pursuit of cheap popularity; money alone is their religion,” Yadav said in one among the many statements issued by him over the issue.Controversies, public invites and high-profile eventsThe controversy erupted after a video went viral showing Shastri commenting on Krishna’s physical appearance, posture, and mannerisms while contrasting him unfavourably with Ram during a Ram Katha in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh. “Even when he stands, he is crooked in three places. His feet are crossed, his waist is bent, and with his neck tilted, he plays the flute,” Shastri had remarked, adding that playing the flute was merely a sport, whereas wielding a bow and arrow was serious business.Pitching the two deities against each other was widely interpreted as an insult to followers of Krishna – specifically the Yaduvanshi community, which forms the core of the modern-day Yadav political identity. Ram, conversely, is revered as a Kshatriya icon. Following widespread outrage and criminal complaints, Shastri issued a clarification and apology, explaining that he was overcome with emotion while expressing a “heartfelt reproach” to “Shri Thakur Ji.” He asserted that he remains a devoted Krishna bhakt. Claiming his words were misinterpreted and that he had no intention of insinuation or insult, he apologised to anyone whose religious feelings were hurt.Also read: On the Backfoot, BJP Returns to Familiar ‘Infiltrator’ Narrative to Battle Resentment Over SIR in UPHowever, the political drama has deepened after influential Thakur MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh (popularly known as Raja Bhaiya) – a long-term ally-turned-nemesis of Yadav – announced he would host Shastri for a grand Ram Katha at the Yogiraj Devaraha Baba Katha Mandapam in his kothi in Kunda, Pratapgarh, from November 17 to 20. Raja Bhaiya, a sitting MLA from Kunda who heads the Jansatta Dal Loktantrik, has been drawing closer to the BJP in recent months. He personally extended invitations to deputy chief ministers Brajesh Pathak and Keshav Prasad Maurya.Hosting Shastri is viewed as Raja Bhaiya’s attempt to consolidate a hardline Hindutva identity amidst shrinking electoral margins in his stronghold Kunda where he has been winning uninterrupted since 1993; his victory margin dropped to 30,000 in 2022 when the SP fielded a candidate against him for the first time in two decades after the breakdown of his relationship with the SP. Facing an increasingly ascendant SP in the build-up to the 2027 election, Raja Bhaiya issued a public invite emphasising that the Ram Katha connects people from all walks of life to the “unparalleled saga of noble character, divine ideals, sacrifice, righteousness, and life values of the epitome of propriety, Lord Shri Ram.”At a recent Maha Shivpuran event organised by a BJP leader in Unnao, Raja Bhaiya asserted that “India will remain a constitutional nation only as long as it has a Hindu majority.” “It is deeply unfortunate that when a Muslim speaks about Islam, the entire community supports him; yet, when a Hindu speaks about Sanatan Dharma or ‘Hindutva’, other Hindus themselves turn against him,” said Raja Bhaiya.Yadav, meanwhile, has accused Shastri of hurting the sentiments of both the Yaduvanshis and the Raghuvanshis. “Now, they will be denied entry in both Braj and Awadh. No true Raghuvanshi will welcome them, nor will any true Yaduvanshi,” said Yadav.Also read: ‘Keshav ji, UGC Par Boliye’: The Slap Heard Around Prayagraj That Exposes BJP’s Caste Dilemma in UPShastri’s upcoming event in Kunda is just one among the many that are being organised in the poll-bound state where leaders are inviting popular kathavachaks for religious sermons.Across Uttar Pradesh, BJP leaders, ministers, and ticket aspirants are rushing to book renowned spiritual babas and kathavachaks. While ostensibly aligned with the festive season, the political timing of these grand religious assemblies and heavy attendance of BJP leaders is not lost on anyone. Given the massive popularity of these kathavachaks or narrators, organisers find it significantly easier to fill grounds and secure subtle endorsements for the BJP as well as its Hindutva agenda from spiritual figures. Non-political religious stages allow politicians to reach voters across rigid caste lines and party affiliations.Photographs and videos of many of these events, reviewed by The Wire, showed packed venues, with women making up a large portion of the crowds. At several events, BJP leaders and legislators from other neighbouring districts also took the stage.Kunda MLA Raja Bhaiya and BJP MP Manoj Tiwari attended the event of kathavachak Pradeep Mishra ‘Sehore Wale’ organised by BJP leader Arun Singh in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. Photo: Special Arrangement.In Unnao, Arun Singh – a former block pramukh and current zilla panchayat member seeking the BJP ticket from the Bhagwantnagar Assembly seat – hosted a weeklong Shiv Mahapuran Katha by popular kathavachak Pradeep Mishra ‘Sehore Wale’ in Bighapur starting October 30. This was the same event where Raja Bhaiya made the above address. Speaking to The Wire, Singh candidly admitted the political utility of these gatherings. “If I organise a personal event, say a mundan (a traditional Hindu ritual in which a baby’s hair is shaved off completely for the first time) ceremony, barely anyone will attend. But aastha (faith) is the single path that connects all people. If we organise a katha, even those who aren’t formally invited will flock to the venue.”Singh estimated a daily turnout of 2 to 2.5 lakh people, housed under three massive German hanger tents with a seating capacity of 70,000 to 80,000. While insisting the event focused on Sanatan Dharma, Singh noted that Pradeep Mishra praised chief minister Adityanath during his discourses as a steadfast protector of the Hindu faith. Singh also said that he announced the donation of 13 bighas of land to Pradeep Mishra to construct a new temple for him in Unnao, the Chandmauleshwar Mahadev Mandir. Over recent months, numerous high-profile events have been organised across the state by BJP leaders. In Rae Bareli, BJP cabinet Minister Manoj Pandey organised a Shiva Mahapuran featuring Pradeep Mishra in September, an event attended by Adityanath. BJP MLA Neeraj Bora, seeking a third consecutive term from Lucknow North constituency, organised a nine-day Shriram Katha Mahotsav in June featuring Jagadguru Rambhadracharya – a prominent seer who has openly praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Adityanath. Following the BJP’s humbling defeat in Ayodhya during the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Rambhadracharya famously likened those who didn’t vote the saffron party to Manthara, the palace character who allegedly manipulated Ram’s stepmother to demand his exile in the Hindu epic Ramayana.BJP women activists felicitated by BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh transport minister Daya Shankar Singh on the concluding day of the seven-day Shrimad Bhagwat Katha by renowned kathavachak Jaya Kishori in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh on November 3. Photo: Special Arrangement.Uttar Pradesh minister Daya Shankar Singh hosted a Shri Shiv Mahapuran Katha at the Baba Balkhandi Nath Temple in Diuli in his constituency in Ballia, where lakhs of devotees gathered daily to listen to Pradeep Mishra, among the most-sought after kathavachaks. The event saw attendance from former BJP MP Virendra Singh Mast, BJP district president Sanjay Mishra, former MLA Shiv Shankar Chauhan, former block chief Mrityunjay Tiwari ‘Babloo’, BJP district vice president Krishna Pandey, and BJP’s city president Soni Tiwari.Renowned kathavachak Jaya Kishori in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. Photo: Special Arrangement.Singh, a key organisational figure in the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, also recently met ‘international storyteller’ Jaya Kishori at his residence ahead of her seven-day Shrimad Bhagwat Katha at the Shri Ram-Janaki Temple complex in Chhohar, Ghaziyapur (held October 28 to November 3 as part of the Ballia Cultural and Spiritual Festival-2026). Singh, the sitting MLA from Ballia, attended the final day’s discourse, which concluded with a havan and grand feast, praising Jaya Kishori for filling the region with devotion, service values, and human morals.BJP MLA from Sidhauli in Sitapur, in central Uttar Pradesh, Manish Rawat also hosted a seven-day Shri Ram Katha led by Acharya Shantanu Ji Maharaj, a preacher who has openly commended Adityanath’s cow-protection initiatives. “What amazing devotion to cows he has in his heart, what sense of service,” Acharya Shantanu recently said about the chief minister. Also read: Six Years After Farm-Law Agitation, SKM Seeks to Revive Farmers’ Movement With November 26 ProtestsDescribing the event, Rawat noted that the pandal reverberated with devotional fervour as devotees listened to the divine narrative of Lord Ram’s birth.International kathavachak Rajan Ji Maharaj In Chandauli for a five-day musical Shri Ram Katha at Dashmi Talab. Photo: Special Arrangement.In Chandauli, BJP MLA Sushil Singh from Saiyadraja constituency hosted a five-day musical Shri Ram Katha at Dashmi Talab featuring international kathavachak Rajan Ji Maharaj. The event turned into a show of strength on October 24, attended by deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak, former MP Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, Ministers Dinesh Pratap Singh and Sanjeev Gaur, and cabinet minister Sanjay Nishad, among others. In Jaunpur, BJP leader Gyan Prakash Singh roped in Kathavachak Shantanu Maharaj for a nine-day Ram Katha dedicated to Seva Bharti, an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Photo: Special Arrangement.In Jaunpur, BJP leader Gyan Prakash Singh also roped in Shantanu Maharaj for a Ram Katha dedicated to Seva Bharti, an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Dumariyaganj MP Jagdambika Pal, former Uttar Pradesh BJP chief and former MP Mahendra Nath Pandey, former Prayagraj MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi, former MP Dhananjay Singh, Rajya Sabha MPs Seema Dwivedi and Sadhana Singh, Cabinet Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, and MLCs Brijesh Singh and Shyam Narayan ‘Vineet’ Singh were among those who attended the event.In Sultanpur, zilla panchayat chairperson Usha Singh and her husband Baldirai Block head Shivkumar Singh organised a Shriram Katha Mahotsav (October 30 to November 7) featuring Rajan Ji Maharaj in Bahurava Bazaar. Attendees included Yogesh Maurya (son of deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya) and minister Daya Shankar Singh.SP isn’t absent eitherWhile the BJP remains the frontrunner in leveraging Hindu spiritual gurus and kathavachaks, the opposition SP is not entirely absent from this arena. On October 8, SP chief Yadav himself attended a Shrimad Bhagwat Katha held at the ancestral home of former minister Tej Narayan alias Pawan Pandey in Ayodhya. Pandey, the SP’s candidate for the high-stakes Ayodhya Assembly seat, hosted Yadav as he performed rituals at the Vyas Peetha.Addressing the gathered devotees in Ayodhya, Yadav emphasised the cultural unity of the gathering: “Today, in the holy land of Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Shri Ram, all devotees have joined together in chanting Jai Radheshyam. This represents the true beauty of our society, country, and culture. The biggest festival of democracy – elections – is fast approaching, bringing a time for decision-making. On such an occasion, it is a unique coincidence that we have come together to drink the nectar of the Bhagwat Katha, which tempers the heat of Kaliyuga and uplifts our present and future existences.”On November 7, Pawan Pandey announced that Yadav would make his first visit to the Ram Mandir after it was consecrated, on December 12, in what is expected to be an explosive political event. The BJP has not only mocked Yadav for not visiting the temple but has for years targeted him and his late father Mulayam Singh for police firing on the right-wing mob of ‘karsevaks’ that launched an attack on the Babri Masjid in 1990. The Wire reached out to Sushil Singh, Shiv Kumar Singh, Gyan Prakash Singh and Manish Rawat to know more about their events but got no response. This story will be updated when a response is received.Omar Rashid is an independent journalist.