This spiritual pilgrimage, called the holy Kanwar Yatra 2025, has been a source of millions of devotees who travel across North India, but now the pilgrimage has also entered the political arena. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak had stirred up a political storm by claiming that forces associated with the Samajwadi Party (SP) were infiltrating the yatra in the guise of Kanwariyas to defame the practice and create chaos.
Pathak said in a statement released on X (once known as Twitter) that some goons affiliated with the Samajwadi Party were getting inside the Kanwar Yatra, posing as pilgrims, and attempting to defame this sacred pilgrimage. It did not take long before his statements spread through the social media sites and the news outlets, creating political implications and defensive backlash among opposition parties.
कांवड़ यात्रियों के बीच में समाजवादी पार्टी के कुछ अराजक तत्व कांवड़ यात्रियों के भेष में घुसकर कांवड़ यात्रा को बदनाम करने का काम कर रहे हैं : बृजेश पाठक, डिप्टी सीएम UP pic.twitter.com/55oeUfUFek
— Sachin Gupta (@SachinGuptaUP) July 21, 2025
Security Tightened as Allegations Surface
As follow-ups to these grave accusations, the Uttar Pradesh government has increased security along Kanwar Yatra paths. This has seen the officials asked to cross-check and be more vigilant, especially at large checkpoints, camps, and entry points. Police officers and the CCTV surveillance equipment, comprising over 20,000 officers, have already been put in place, and intelligence teams have now been asked to investigate activities that are politically motivated by people in the name of religious conduct.
This year, the yatra has witnessed the highest number of people as it passes through important districts like Meerut, Haridwar, and Ghaziabad, where lakhs of saffron-clad pilgrims have joined the pilgrimage to collect Ganga water and offer it in Shiva temples.
SP Reacts: Political Targeting or Genuine Concern?
In response to the accusation, the Samajwadi Party leaders rejected the accusation as being baseless and a distraction. According to the SP spokespersons, these kinds of remarks are politically driven and intended to smear the opposition without clear reasons. The party helped to underline that the Kanwari Yatra cannot be mixed with politics and should be honoured because it is spiritual in nature.
Emerging is the fact that the issue of religion and an election strategy is more manifest than ever, even as politics unfold in Uttar Pradesh.
