Varanasi witnessed a sharp exchange between Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the recognition of Shankaracharyas in Sanatan Dharma. The controversy, which erupted during the Magh Mela and Mauni Amavasya earlier this year, reignited as Avimukteshwaranand questioned the legitimacy of government intervention in religious matters.