Gujarat Confidential: Shankersinh & ‘Shankaracharya’

FORMER CHIEF minister Shankersinh Vaghela was in Prayagraj on Tuesday to meet Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, who landed in a controversy over using the title of Shankaracharya of Jyotishpeeth, Uttarakhand, and more recently when he was reportedly not allowed to take a dip in the holy Triveni Sangam. Addressing a gathering, Vaghela said he had come seeking “blessings”, pointing out that Avimukteshwaranand “should not be made a cause in the fight between Lucknow and Delhi” as per a video shared by his team. “My name is also Shankar and I am a devotee of Shankar (Shiva)”, said the former CM who, in 2002, backed another Shankaracharya- Swami Adhokshjanand of Puri at his native village in Vasaniya, Gandhinagar. A few months after the riots that year, Swami Adhokshjanand camped in the Vasaniya Mahadev temple in Gandhinagar “to spread the message of peace” even as his title had come under a cloud. (Leena Misra)

Hardik becomes Dad

BJP MLA from Viramgam, Hardik Patel, has become father to a son nearly seven years after his marriage with his long-time friend, Kinjal. Hardik, who spearheaded the 2015 Patidar quota agitation, married Kinjal in Surendranagar on January 27 in 2019. As they celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary on Tuesday, Hardik made the announcement on social media in a message addressed to Kinjal saying, “This year has become very important for both of us because God gave you and me the opportunity to become parents. This year, I will pray to God not for myself but for your best health, happiness and a bright future for our child. I am very happy in your happiness, may you always be happy, may we be together for the seventh birth. Happy wedding anniversary again Kinjal…” (Parimal A Dabhi)