Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati is the head of the Hindu monastery Jyotirpeeth Badrinath Dham in Uttarakhand. He is known for his hate speeches against Christians and is a vocal supporter of a ban on cow slaughter. He also regularly targets politicians, claiming they are not “true” Hindus if they support secularism or social justice.

In September 2024, Avimukteshwaranand also attacked the Prime Minister and the President stating that they are not Hindus as cow slaughter continues under the current regime. He was speaking during the launch of his “Gau Dhvaj Sthapna Bharat Yatra,” a travelling campaign to end cow slaughter and establish the “Gau Dhvaj” (flag for the cow) in all Indian states.

“…These are Hindus for show… not real Hindus. Had they been Hindus, cow slaughter would not have happened even for once under their regime,” he stated.

In response to being prevented entry into Nagaland due to law and order concerns, he said “Shankaracharyas do not belong to any party. Minorities cannot say that eating cows is their right. If this is the case, they should shift to a country with sharia law.”

Early in 2025, Avimukteshwaranand stated that Hindus must “kill all Christians, and none should be spared,” during a speech in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, calling for 1,000 Hindus to rise and “slay those who slay our mother cow. Do not ask for the death penalty for cow slayers—kill them and ask for the death penalty for yourselves. Do not wait for the law to act.”

In May 2025, Avimukteshwaranand formally excommunicated Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition, from Hinduism for insulting the Manusmriti, a controversial and casteist Hindu code of conduct. 

In July 2025, Avimukteshwaranand supported the demand by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale for reconsidering the use of the words “socialist” and “secular” in the preamble of the Indian constitution, which were added through the Constitution (Forty-second amendment) Act, 1976.

He said that the word secular did not align with the nature of the Indian constitution, as it implied indifference to right and wrong, whereas “dharma” (religion/duty) was about distinguishing between the two. 

“The word secular was not there in the constitution originally; it was added later. That is why the word “dharmnirpeksh” (secular) does not align with the nature of the Indian constitution,” he stated.

“Babasaheb Ambedkar never used these words in the preamble of the constitution. The words were added during the Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, parliament did not function, and the judiciary became lame,” he added.

Avimukteshwaranand’s social media posts regularly call for cow protection and support for cow vigilantes.