Prayagraj: The Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad ( ABAP ) has instructed mahamandaleshwars, mandaleshwars and seers across the country, as well as devotees and followers, to buy goods from shopkeepers who are "followers of Sanatan dharma ", and engage only Hindu barbers, carpenters, cobblers and other service providers. Goods should be bought only from a shop that had a board displaying the owner's name, and after verifying if there was an idol or picture of gods and goddesses inside the shop, dhaba, restaurant or any other establishment, the parishad further said. This was necessary because "people of a particular religion" were acting with malicious intent, it alleged.
Food, drinks and even flowers, prasad and other items used by Hindus during worship were being sold after spitting on them. Vegetables and fruits were dipped in dirty water before being sold. Many such cases had come to light across the country through videos shared on social media, the akhara parishad said.
In view of such cases, the parishad had decided to change its path in the upcoming Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, said ABAP president Mahant Ravindra Puri, hinting at a boycott of Muslim shopkeepers. "In Maha Kumbh, bhandaras are organised in the camps of seers of all sects. For these bhandaras, apart from Hindus, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist shopkeepers have been identified in Prayagraj for fruits, vegetables, milk, grains, dona-pattal and kulhad," Puri said.
He claimed ABAP was not against any caste or class, but as.