BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar pulls up own news channel for mocking Mahakumbh, says ‘Faith is important’

BJP leader and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday openly pulled up the Malayalam television channel he owns for its remarks on the recently concluded Mahakumbh mela during one of its programmes.

The television channel in question, Asianet News, is owned by Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Chandrasekhar said that he received messages from many people saying that their sentiments were hurt by what was said on the show.

“A number of malayalees have msgd me hurt by what they believe to be a program mocking #MahaKhumb. My family also were among the crores of devotees who were there [sic],” he said.

The former Union minister said that he brought this matter to the attention of senior leadership at Asianet News and asked them to refrain from such “inadvertent or other mocking” of a gathering that attracted lakhs of devotees.

“I have brought this to attention of Asianet News leadership and requested that no such inadvertent or other mocking be done, about a gathering of reverence for lakhs of devotees,” he said.

“To every Hindu as in any religion, our faith is important - to crores of Hindus across the country and in Kerala and we wud all rqst that it be respected [sic],” Chandrasekhar added.

What did Asianet News say?

According to a report by The Indian Express, Asianet News, in its latest weekly programme Cover Story on March 1, took a jab at people taking a dip at the Mahakumbh.

“Hundreds of people from Kerala took part in the Ganga snan. Hindu sentiments, interest in rituals, and the Kumbh mela snan, which were not prevalent until now, have emerged in a state where CPI(M) is ruling. Even when Kerala is claiming to be 100 percent literate, Kumbh mela snan and propitiating BJP are favourite matters for a lot of Keralites.” 

Mahakumbh 2025

Mahakumbh 2025, which concluded on February 26, became a historic event with its divine and grand execution, witnessing an unprecedented gathering of over 66 crore devotees. Held on the banks of the Sangam in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, the Mahakumbh marked a sacred occasion after 144 years, drawing lakhs of people from across India and the world.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath highlighted the success of the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj and said that over 66.30 crore people visited the religious event.

The Chief Minister announced that the Mahakumbh has led to the creation of five new spiritual tourism corridors in the state, linking Prayagraj with key spiritual destinations such as Mirzapur, Kashi, Gorakhpur, Chitrakoot, Lucknow, Naimisharanya, and Mathura-Vrindavan.