PM Modi on Dhirendra Shastri's marriage: India’s most eligible bachelor or a rising political force?

India Today

Bageshwar Baba, known for his mass appeal and ‘divya darbars,’ isn’t a typical renunciate. He inaugurates wrestling matches with chants of Jai Shree Ram, moves with private security, and has millions of followers hanging onto his words—whether spiritual or political.

Transcript

00:00For centuries, India's saints have been seen as renunciates, detached from worldly affairs.

00:09But Bageshwar Baba isn't one to retreat into the hills.

00:12If you don't know him already, he's not your typical baba.

00:15At 28, he inaugurates wrestling matches with chants of Jai Shri Ram, takes selfies with

00:20followers and moves around with a personal security officer and two private guards.

00:25So when the Prime Minister himself brings up his bachelorhood, is it just a casual remark

00:30or a sign of his evolving public image?

00:33With this...

00:34One of India's most talked about godman is being called its most eligible bachelor.

00:42Dheerendra Krishna Shastri or Bageshwar Baba has millions of followers.

00:47From his Divya Darbars where he claims to read minds and solve problems, to his controversial

00:51statements, he's positioned himself as a major spiritual force.

00:55Initially his discourses focused on Hanuman devotion and personal problem solving, staying

00:59clear of direct politics.

01:01In 2023, rationalists challenged him to prove his miracles, forcing him to leave Maharashtra

01:06mid-event.

01:07India's first female mentalist Suhani Shah has openly called him out across TV debates.

01:11Yet Shastri has doubled down, embracing a hardline Hindutva stance.

01:25Both Congress and BJP leaders have tried to court him, recognising his influence in Madhya

01:29Pradesh's Bundelkhand region as well as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

01:33But beyond the marriage talk, a larger trend is unfolding.

01:36Is he positioning himself as a face of a physically and culturally assertive Hindu youth?

01:40And if so, is his influence moving beyond faith into a more strategic political domain?

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