Indore, April 4: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday accorded the `Minister of State' (MoS) status to five Hindu religious leaders. The five religious leaders who have been inducted to the Shivraj Singh Chouhan Government in the state are Narmada Anand Maharaj, Hariharanand Maharaj, Computer Baba, Bhaiyyu Maharaj and Pandit Yogendra Mahant.

The recent move comes ahead of assembly elections due later this year in November 2018. The move was, however, slammed by the Congress. It was according to the order of General Administration Department's Additional Secretary K K Katiya that the MoS status was accorded to five Hindu religious leaders.

Know about these Hindu religious leaders:

Computer Baba

Computer Baba, the 52-year-old Hindu leader has been in the news recently for protesting against the government of Madhya Pradesh for interfering in the working of the temples. His name might sound very funny but his wealth, fan following will wipe that smirk off your face. Known as Computer Baba,  the religious leader's original name is Swami Namdev Tyagi. He represents the Digamber Akhada of Indore.

He is known as Computer Baba because he claims to have a computer-like brain and a very sharp memory.  The baba keeps himself armed with all the latest gadgets, including wi-fi dongles. His moniker is  attributed partly  due to the fact  that he is always seen with a laptop in hand.

Bhaiyyu Maharaj

Bhaiyyu Maharaj shot to fame when he touched base with anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare. He is a zamindar’s son and a former model, and is famous for his lifestyle. As per reports, Bhaiyyu operates from a sprawling ashram at Indore and is known for travelling in a white Mercedes SUV. Bhaiyyu has a wide following among politicians and businessmen, particularly in Maharashtra.

Narmada Anand Maharaj

Narmadanand Maharaj of Nityanand Ashram has been given the status of the Minister of State by the Madhya Pradesh government. He has also been included in the special committee for continuous campaign of mass awareness on various issues of the state, especially in the areas of Narmada coast, plantation, water conservation and hygiene.

Pandit Yogendra Mahant

Pandit Yogendra Mahant has been inducted as a Minister of State in Shivraj Chouhan government. Yogendra Mahant is the state president of Vishwa Brahmin Sangh at Indore in Madhya Pradesh. The Mahant had done his High School from Vaishnav Higher Secondary School in Indore.

Hariharanand Maharaj

Spiritual leader Hariharanand Maharaj is always engaged in his devotion to the Lord. He says the complete enjoyment imposed by love and purity is the essence of whole speech, which we put in our heart.

On March 31, these five religious leaders were appointed to a committee set up for the conservation of the Narmada river. As members, they have been given the MoS status, a GAD official said today.

State BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal said the opposition party dislikes anything related to saints. "Saints and seers were accorded the MoS status to make their work of environment and river conservation easy. The saints were roped in for the Narmada conservation work to ensure public participation," Agrawal said.

After announcing numerous sops in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government on Tuesday formed a committee of Hindu seers and religious leaders to create awareness on river Narmada conservation and accorded Minister of State (MoS) status to the five-panel members.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 04, 2018 12:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).