Bageshwar Baba Dhirendra Shastri Attacks Lenskart Over ‘Tilak Ban’: ‘Move Company to Lahore’

‘Nakkata, Open Your Firm in Pakistan’

Heated Exchange in Prayagraj

Bageshwar Dham head Pandit Dhirendra Shastri launched a sharp attack on eyewear major Lenskart during a Hanuman Katha here, daring the company to shift its operations to Lahore if it cannot respect Hindu religious symbols. The fiery sermon on Tuesday drew massive applause from devotees.

‘Don’t Mess with Sanatan’

Shastri targeted the company’s alleged dress code policy that reportedly restricts employees from wearing tilak, sindoor, or mangalsutra. “Ek company hai Lenskart. Usne bola – no tilak, no mangalsutra, no sindoor,” he said. “Nakkata, tu apni company Lahore khol le. Bharat mein kyun mar raha hai?”

The priest warned that attacking the mangalsutra today would lead to attacks on the entire Sanatan Dharma tomorrow. “Aaj unhonne mangalsutra par ungli uthayi, kal woh tumhari Geeta-Ramayan par uthayenge,” he added.

What Sparked the Row

The controversy erupted after a purported policy document went viral on social media. It claimed Lenskart barred employees from wearing bindi, tilak, and kalava while allowing hijab and pagri under certain conditions. Activist Shefali Vaidya shared screenshots on X, questioning the discrepancy.

This quickly became a flashpoint. Hindu outfits accused the company of practising religious discrimination under the garb of workplace rules. The issue gained traction as a Public Interest Story, dominating national debates.

 Company’s Clarification Rejected

Amid growing backlash, Lenskart CEO Piyush Bansal issued a statement asserting that the company respects all faiths. He maintained employees have full freedom to wear religious symbols. However, the clarification has failed to pacify critics.

Protesting organisations have rejected the statement outright. They continue to demand a written apology and a rollback of the alleged policy. Agitations outside Lenskart showrooms have intensified.

 Protests Spread to Showrooms

In Bhopal’s New Market area, workers of the Hindu Utasav Samiti gheraoed a Lenskart outlet. Protesters applied tilak on employees and tied kalava while chanting mantras. “Sanatan ka apmaan nahi sahega Hindustan,” they declared.

Similar protests are now being planned in other cities. As per Latest News Today, more demonstrations are expected in the coming days across Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

 What Happens Next

Legal experts suggest the matter could reach the courts if the policy is proven discriminatory. Meanwhile, political reactions are pouring in. Some ruling party leaders have backed Shastri’s stance, calling for a national debate on workplace religious freedom.

For now, Lenskart finds itself at the centre of a storm. As an India News Update, this episode highlights rising tensions around religious expression in corporate India. The coming week will determine whether the company revisits its policy or faces sustained protests. According to officials familiar with the matter, no formal complaint has been filed yet, but pressure is mounting from multiple quarters.

When Elected Representatives & Godmen Fail the Road Test — Shakya's 'Prasad' Remark and Shastri's Storm Explained

Some politicians seemingly cannot resist the microphone, even when it is placed directly in front of a landmine. In Madhya Pradesh in March 2026, two public figures have done exactly that — and the political fallout is still echoing through the corridors of Bhopal.

Welcome to another edition of Baat Khari Hai — where we call it as it is.

Pannalal Shakya's 'Prasad' Remark: The Full Story

Guna BJP legislator Pannalal Shakya used objectionable language at a government event in Guna, targeting the District Collector and saying: "Yahan saale hum mandir mein khade hain, humein prasad hi nahin mil raha" — loosely meaning, "We elected representatives are standing in the temple and not even getting our share of prasad."

The remark was made at a press conference alongside Energy Minister Pradyuman Singh Tomar, who had gathered reporters to discuss the state budget. When a journalist posed the "selected vs elected" question to Shakya, the MLA used the occasion to fire a public salvo against bureaucrats — the "selected" government servants — claiming they dominate over the "elected" representatives like himself.

On the surface, his frustration may resonate with many elected public representatives across India. The friction between politicians and the IAS bureaucracy is real and well-documented. But the way Shakya chose to express that frustration — with crude language, at a public forum, in front of cameras — is precisely why he is once again in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Not His First Rodeo — A Pattern of Controversy

Shakya is a two-term BJP MLA from the reserved Guna constituency and is known to be closely associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. ANI News Yet, remarkably, his RSS connection has done little to install ideological discipline in his public speech.

In July 2024, Shakya sparked nationwide controversy when he told an audience at the inauguration of the Prime Minister College of Excellence: "College ki degree se kuch nahi hone wala — ek puncture ki dukaan khol lena" (A college degree won't do much for you — just open a puncture repair shop). ANI News The statement, made while literally standing inside a college his own government had built, baffled both educators and politicians alike.

In September 2025, the party leadership expressed anger at Shakya's statement predicting a civil war-like situation in India, similar to unrest seen in Nepal and Bangladesh. BJP state media cell chief Ashish Agarwal publicly stated the party disagreed with the remarks, and said leadership had taken cognizance of the situation.

Yet here we are again in March 2026. Third controversy. Same MLA. Zero consequences.

The Dhirendra Shastri Connection — Faith, Power, and Political Fire

Into this already charged environment stepped Bageshwar Dham's Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, whose words have a near-miraculous ability to generate political firestorms.

Shastri, born in 1996 in Chhatarpur district, is the current leader of Bageshwar Dham and an influential self-styled godman known for his preaching of the Ramcharitmanas and Shiva Purana. Business Standard He commands a massive following — and an equally massive ability to polarise.

His latest controversial statement has angered leaders across the political spectrum, including senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, veteran Congress strategist Digvijaya Singh, and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. When a single statement manages to unite three otherwise opposing political figures in irritation, you know the remark has crossed a line that most public figures know better than to approach.

The commonality between Shakya's "prasad" remark and Shastri's latest provocation is stark: both are men with significant public platforms, both command the trust and faith of large communities, and both have chosen to deploy that trust recklessly.

Why BJP's "Road Test" Keeps Failing

The BJP had specifically provided training to its legislators on speaking with caution, and when Hemant Khandelwal became state party president, he personally advised lawmakers to avoid controversy-courting statements. But training and advice have had little impact on repeat offenders.

This is the central issue. When there are no real consequences — no suspension, no public censure, no ticket denial — the training means nothing. Shakya has been controversial since 2018 when he suggested that girls should avoid having boyfriends in order to prevent assault. ANI News That was eight years ago. He has since been re-elected, rewarded with the party ticket again in 2023, and has continued making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Opinion: The Road Test Must Have Real Consequences

The "road test" metaphor is apt. In a driving test, if you fail — repeatedly — you don't get the licence. In Indian politics, however, controversy has a bizarre ability to become a career asset rather than a liability.

Shakya's complaint about bureaucrats overriding elected representatives is a legitimate governance debate that deserves serious discussion. Instead, his crude framing has buried that conversation under a pile of outrage. Similarly, Dhirendra Shastri's massive influence could be channelled toward social upliftment — but inflammatory statements transform faith into friction.

Even within Congress, Rahul Gandhi has had to publicly call out Digvijaya Singh's own miscalculated remarks — with Gandhi quipping "you did a mischief" after Singh publicly praised the RSS-BJP organisational structure just before a crucial Congress Working Committee meeting. TheQuint Nobody — across any party — is immune to this problem of speaking first and thinking later.

What This Moment Demands

• From the BJP leadership: Clear, enforceable action against repeat offenders — not just press statements of disagreement
• From Dhirendra Shastri: An acknowledgment that mass faith comes with mass responsibility
• From the media ecosystem: Less amplification of outrage, more interrogation of substance
• From voters: Demand accountability at the ballot box, where it matters most

Bottom Line

Madhya Pradesh's political theatre this week has given us a BJP MLA complaining about not getting his "prasad," a godman whose words have angered every major political figure in the state, and yet another reminder that public platforms in India desperately need stronger guardrails.

The road test keeps getting failed. The question is whether anyone in authority is finally ready to cancel the licence.