Lucknow, Oct. 7 -- Indian cricketer Virat Kohli's spokesperson has rejected a claim made by Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Sangharsh Nyas president Dinesh Falahari Maharaj that the former India captain was paid Rs 5 crore to visit spiritual leader Premanand Maharaj's ashram in Vrindavan.
In an official statement, Kohli's spokesperson described the allegation as "completely false and baseless" and said the cricketer's visits to Premanand Maharaj were solely driven by his deep faith and reverence for the spiritual leader.
Falahari Maharaj had alleged that a group associated with the ashram had spent Rs 5 crore to bring Kohli to Premanand Maharaj's darbar. He claimed that the visit subsequently helped increase the spiritual leader's popularity across the country.
The allegation was made in a letter in which Falahari Maharaj urged Premanand Maharaj to leave the Belvan Ashram and move to Govardhan, citing concerns over his security and alleged factionalism around the ashram.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.