Kinnar Akhara head expels Mamta Kulkarni, Laxmi Naarayan Tripathi for ‘treason’
Founder of the Kinnar Akhara, Rishi Ajay Das said that the appointment of Mamta Kulkarni had been conducted without his consent and had violated Sanatana Dharma
Founder of the Kinnar Akhara, Rishi Ajay Das, in a press statement released on Friday, announced that he has expelled former Bollywood actress Mamta Kulkarni from the Akhara.
Rishi Ajay Das also expelled Mahamandaleshwar Laxminarayan Tripathi from the Kinnar Akhara, for committing alleged treason and appointed Kulkarni as a Mahamandaleshwar without Rishi Das' knowledge.
In the statement he said that he had relieved Mahamandaleshwar Laxminarayan Tripathi from his role, “because he has always strayed from the post for which he was appointed for the need of religious propagation and religious rituals as well as upliftment of Kinnar community, etc.”
Rishi Ajay Das said that Mahamandaleshwar Tripathi and others in the Akhara had committed an unconstitutional act and acted against the principles of Sanatana Dharma by appointing Mamta Kulkarni, who has associations with the glamourous world of the film industry and has been accused of treason.
Also Read: ‘Betrayal of Sanatan Dharma’: Mamta Kulkarni's ‘akhaara’ appointment sparks row among saints
“Without following any religious or akhada tradition, instead of making her renunciate, they directly conferred the title and patta of Mahamandaleshwar on her. Due to which, today I am reluctantly compelled to relieve her from the post in the interest of the country, Sanatan Dharma and society,” he said.
He alleged that Mahamandaleshwar Tripathi had made a deal with the Juna Akhara in the Kumbh Mela held in Prayagraj in 2019 without Rishi Das' consent. He added that under this deal people were improperly joining Akharas without practicing the required rituals or renunciation of their worldly attachments.
“In this way, they are cheating the lovers of Sanatan Dharma and the society. Therefore, it was necessary for me to give all this information in public interest and in the interest of religion through a press conference today,” Rishi Das said.
Mamata Kulkarni's appointment as Mahamandaleshwar
Former actress Mamta Kulkarni gained fame in the 1990s with her performances in hit films like 'Karan Arjun' and 'Baazi'. During the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj where she had arrived to offer prayers, Acharya Mahamandleshwar of Kinnar Akhara, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, announced that she had taken on a spiritual role as the Mahamandleshwar.
"Kinnar akhada is going to make Mamta Kulkarni a Mahamandleshwar. She has been named as Shri Yamai Mamta Nandgiri. As I am talking here, all the rituals are underway. She has been in touch with Kinnar Akhara and me for the last one and a half years. She is allowed to perform the character of any devotional figure if she wants as we do not prohibit anyone from performing their art," Laxmi Narayan Tripathi said, as quoted by ANI.
Kulkarni's induction into the Akhara drew flak from several members including Transgender Kathavackak Jagatguru Himangi Sakhi Maa who questioned the credibility of the appointment due to past controversies related to the actress.
"Mamta Kulkarni has been made Mahamandleshwar by the Kinnar Akhada for publicity. Society knows her past very well. She was even jailed in the past in connection with drug cases. Suddenly, she arrives in India, participates in the Maha Kumbh, and is given the position of Mahamandleshwar. This needs investigation," Himangi told ANI.
