Shirdi Sai Devotees Dare Swami Swaroopananda Over ‘Devil’ Remarks  

Hyderabad: Scores of Shirdi Saibaba devotees staged protests at the Dilsukhnagar Saibaba temple condemning the remarks made by Dwaraka Peetadhipati Swami Swaroopananda Saraswati who earlier said people in AP and Telangana are worshiping a devil referring to Shirdi Saibaba.

"In almost every household in Andhra and Telangana, people are worshiping a devil called Saibaba," Swaroopananda said while addressing devotees at an event organised at Lalita Kala Toranam in city on Sunday. A handful of devotees at the venue immediately protested against the derogatory remarks, but they were taken into custody by the police.

On Monday, Sai devotees gathered at Dilsukh Nagar Saibaba temple and shouted vehemently decrying the comments of Swaroopananda. They said it was not Saibaba, but Swaroopananda is a devil and he should undergo treatment for mental illness at Erragadda hospital. They warned that they will go to any extent to teach a lesson to Swaroopananda who is not aware of Saibaba's divine qualities.

It may be recalled that another Hindu priest Govindananda also made similar comments against Shirdi Saibaba a few days back. When the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that Shirdi will be connected by air from Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad, Govindananda Swamy said 'welcome to hell' indicating that Saibaba was not a god worth worshiping.