Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said that "many kathavachaks charge ₹50 lakh for an event". "Can anyone afford Dhirendra Shastri (Bageshwar Baba) for katha...at their residence? He takes the money under the table," Moneycontrol reported, quoting Akhilesh as saying. The remarks came amid a controversy over the alleged assault of two preachers in UP's Etawah by upper-caste men.