Lucknow, March 12 (NationPress) On Thursday, Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, had a significant meeting with Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the esteemed Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, in Lucknow to seek spiritual guidance and blessings.

After the meeting, Yadav expressed that his visit was aimed at offering respect and acquiring wisdom from the revered seer.

“I have just concluded my meeting with the respected Shankaracharya. As he is in Lucknow, the state capital, we all felt it was essential to seek his blessings. Our visit was to gain insights and spiritual guidance,” he stated.

The SP chief also shared thoughts on the growing role of social media in influencing public discourse, commenting that people are more inclined to voice their opinions online, which often results in attempts to politicize various events.

“Nowadays, social media is so prevalent that everyone feels empowered to share their thoughts. However, there is always someone trying to inject a political commentary into everything. But my purpose here was solely to seek blessings from the Shankaracharya,” Yadav remarked.

He emphasized that receiving blessings from sages is crucial when embarking on new and positive endeavors.

“Whenever we initiate any noble or progressive work, the blessings from seers and sages are invaluable. The greatest advantage of receiving blessings from the esteemed Shankaracharya is that it signifies the end of false saints,” he noted.

Yadav further discussed the initiatives undertaken by the Samajwadi Party during his tenure aimed at promoting cow welfare, affirming that the party had launched numerous programs and will persist in its efforts for cow protection and service.

“As I have pointed out previously, the first cow milk processing plant in Lucknow and Uttar Pradesh was established in Kannauj,” he mentioned.

He criticized the current administration, claiming that the dairy facility in Kannauj has been closed down.

“This government is not just against the common people but also against every positive initiative. The cow milk processing plant that was constructed in Kannauj has also been shut down due to government intervention. It was a state-of-the-art facility—equipped with tetra packing and constructed entirely from stainless steel,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati confirmed their brief interaction, which included spiritual discussions and reflections on the late SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.

“Akhilesh Yadav came to offer his respects. We discussed some aspects of satsang and shared recollections of Mulayam Singh Yadav. After our conversation, he departed,” the spiritual leader shared.

This meeting occurred amidst the Shankaracharya's announcement of an 81-day statewide campaign for cow protection in Uttar Pradesh, named ‘Kavishti Yatra’, set to commence on May 3 from Gorakhpur and conclude on July 23 after traversing approximately 1.08 lakh villages across the state.

The campaign aims to raise awareness on cow protection and advocate for the recognition of the cow as ‘Rashtra Mata’ (national mother), along with a nationwide ban on cow slaughter.