Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Dec 20: Clearly defying the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat’s advice not to rake up new mandir – masjid (temple-mosque) disputes in the country, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday that temples of Hindus were destroyed again and again in various parts of the country.
“Temples of Hindus have been destroyed time and again, in Kashi Vishwanath Temple, in Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya, Krishna Janambhoomi in Mathura, in Sambhal at Kalki Avatar’s Harihar Bhoomi, and in Bhojpur…Temples were broken here and made impure,” the UP chief minister said, naming the sites of the Gyanvapi and Sambhal mosques by their Hindu temple names. The CM was speaking in Ayodhya. He added that it must be ensured that no such situations arise in the future due to which “our religious places have to be insulted.”
His statement came within hours of the RSS chief Bhagwat spoke again on the mandir-masjid disputes in the country saying it was “unacceptable” to rake up new mandir-masjid issues. He said “some individuals” following the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, were under the impression that they can become “leaders of Hindus” by raking up such disputes. This is unacceptable, he added.
Speaking on the topic of ‘Vishwaguru Bharat’ at the 23rd lecture series organised by Sahjeevan, an NGO, in Pune, on Thursday, Mr Bhagwat had said of late there had been tendency to disrespect other religions. “Extremism, aggressiveness, forcefulness, and insulting other gods are not in the nature of our country and this is unacceptable,” he said, adding that to become ‘Vishwa Guru’, India should not forget its nature that it is “accommodative” to all.
The RSS chief said the Ram Temple in Ayodhya was built to respect the sentiments of Hindus but to use it to become a “Hindu neta (leader)” was unacceptable. “Ram temple was a matter of faith for the entire Hindu community… it was built and is now the centre of faith. But raking up new issues every day for disdain, doubt and enmity will not work,” he added.
“Every day, a new matter (dispute) is being raked up. How can this be allowed? This cannot continue,” Bhagwat said. The RSS chief said the world needs to be shown that the country can live together in harmony.
“By building Ram temple, which is a matter of faith for Hindus, one does not become a Hindu leader. Ram temple is a matter of faith for Indians. Under the burden of the past, we should not resort to extreme hatred, malice, enmity, and after raising doubts, we should not rake up new issues,” he said. “The Ram temple was a matter of faith, and Hindus felt that it should be built…Raising issues about some new sites out of hate and enmity is unacceptable.”
Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks, however, seem at odds with what Yogi Adityanath said later on Friday. He stirred a row with his remarks on Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and his lineage saying that the progeny of the 17th century ruler now live near Kolkata, earning their livelihood as rickshaw pullers.
Yogi Adityanath invoked the “divine justice of history” and said, “I was told that Aurangzeb’s descendants are living near Kolkata, working as rickshaw pullers. Had Aurangzeb not defied divinity and destroyed temples and religious sites, perhaps his lineage would not have faced such a fate.”
The chief minister further expressed his concern over the plight of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, condemning the atrocities faced by the community. Calling for the preservation of Sanatan values, the BJP leader said, “Our sages gave the world the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family) thousands of years ago. Sanatan Dharma has always been a refuge for all faiths during times of crisis. But have Hindus been treated the same way? The violence in Bangladesh, and previously in Pakistan and Afghanistan, reflects the challenges faced by the Hindu community.”
This is not the first time Mohan Bhagwat has spoken on the issue. In 2022, he said it was not proper to escalate communal fights. “Why look for a ‘Shivling’ in every Masjid?” Mr Bhagwat had asked while addressing a ceremony then in Nagpur. He said no one would become a “leader of Hindus” by fanning communal divide.
This was in light of the Gyanvapi issue, which Bhagwat said involves some issues of faith, and the court’s decision on it should be accepted by all. He also advised everyone involved in the Gyanvapi case to sit together and find a way with mutual consent. But also, he said, there was no need to find a Shivling in every mosque and start a new dispute every day.
Bhagwat said the RSS had already made it clear that its participation in the Ayodhya agitation was an exception for historical reasons, and the Sangh had completed it. “Now, we don’t want to lead any movement,” he said.
Mr Bhagwat’s statement came after Hindu right-wing groups moved various courts across the country seeking demolition of decades-old mosques claiming that those were built on temple sites. These mosques include the Shahi Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal, where riots left five dead, and the Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan.
Mr Bhagwat’s words were welcomed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor who said on X that he wished the entire Sangh Parivar paid heed to the RSS chief’s words. “Who is a minority and who is a majority? Everyone is equal here. The tradition of this nation is all can follow their own forms of worship. The only requirement is to live in harmony and abide by rules and laws,” says RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Couldn’t have put it better myself. I hope the rest of the Sangh Parivar heeds him!” he wrote. “He had earlier said that people should not be digging up shivlings under every mosque — but they didn’t heed him then….,” he added.
National president of All India Muslim Jamaat, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, also lauded Mr Bhagwat’s statement and said the Hindu society should listen to his words. “The things he has said are for the unity, integrity and peace of the country. He has said things in the context of the Hindu-Muslim brotherhood. Therefore, his words should be heard and acted upon,” he said.
The Samajwadi Party’s senior leader Ram Gopal Yadav used the opportunity to take potshots at the BJP. “Though Bhagwat is giving sound advice, no one is listening to him in the BJP anymore,” Yadav said.
Mr Bhagwat’s latest comments are also significant as they come after the Supreme Court put a stay on decisions on any new surveys or petitions in temple-mosque disputes till next February. This was after moves of lower courts on Sambhal and Ajmer Sharif brought the focus of political attacks on former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud for “opening the floodgates” for such petitions and surveys of various religious sites in the country.
First, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and then MPs from the Samajwadi Party have been targeting Chandrachud for a decision last year by a bench headed by him, which allowed an ASI survey of the Gyanvapi premises in Varanasi. “That decision by Chandrachud was a bad one, a wrong one. It has opened the floodgates for more such surveys. The SC must take cognisance and stop such petitions and surveys in the country’s interest,” the Samajwadi Party said.
The AIMPLB also issued a statement on the same lines, blaming the Chandrachud-led bench for “softening its stance” and allowing a survey at Gyanvapi. “During the Babri Masjid case, the SC referred to the Places of Worship Act, 1991, and said no new claims could be entertained after the enactment of this law that specified that the status of any place of worship as of August 15, 1947, shall remain unchanged and cannot be challenged,” the AIMPLB said.
It then went on to refer to the Chandrachud bench judgement last year. “Yet, when the lower court accepted the claim on Gyanvapi mosque, the Muslim side approached the Supreme Court, arguing that such a claim should not be entertained given the Places of Worship Act. The court, however, softened its stance and allowed the survey, stating it did not violate the 1991 law,” the AIMPLB said.
This has led to subsequent claims on Shahi Eidgah in Mathura, Teelewali Masjid in Lucknow, and now the Jama Masjid in Sambhal as well as Ajmer Sharif, says the statement. The SC had to step in earlier this month to stop any such surveys till it decides on the matter.
The Samajwadi Party, in a statement, said, “Mohan Bhagwat ji, your every advice and word is meaningless until you publicly condemn the actions of the BJP government/CM Yogi and stop them from doing so; until then, your statements will be considered mere speeches and drama.”
