LUCKNOW: UP CM Yogi Adityanath strongly defended Wednesday the recent court-ordered survey of Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal to ascertain claims that the mosque was built over a Hindu temple. He described the occupation of Hindu religious sites for mosque construction as a “wound that needed surgery”, warning that neglect could let it turn into “cancer”.
The survey of the 16th-century mosque in November led to violent clashes in Sambhal. Five people were killed and about 20 security personnel were wounded.
“I am not against any religion and respect a place where prayers have been taking place for long. But if a community’s site for prayers is broken down, it should be strongly criticised. See how Sambhal has been Islamised. All signs of our religion have been destroyed, covered, and concretised. Continuous riots took place there before 2017…,” Yogi said.
Highlighting the historical significance of Sanatan Dharma, Yogi claimed it as the world’s oldest faith, referencing ancient Hindu scriptures. He pointed out that Hindu literature, written thousands of years ago, mentioned the future appearance of Vishnu’s tenth avatar Kalki.
Yogi referred to historical texts like the Ain-i-Akbar, asserting that a Kalki temple in Sambhal was replaced by a mosque under Mughal emperor Akbar’s rule. “I’m talking of our history which is older than 5,000 years and they don’t even have a history of more than 500 years,” he said.
The CM also criticised the Waqf Board, branding it as a “Board of Mafia” and pledging to reclaim every inch of illegally occupied land for public welfare projects. He said this in response to controversy over claims that part of the Maha Kumbh area in Prayagraj was Waqf land.
Yogi lauded the Maha Kumbh as a symbol of Hindu and national unity, transcending caste and regional differences. He called on political opponents to embrace the spiritual heritage of India, criticising them for not visiting the Ram temple and accusing Congress of altering the Constitution during the Emergency by adding “socialist” and “secular” to the Preamble.
“Babua of Samajwadi Party (Akhilesh Yadav) does politics in the name of Ram Manohar Lohia, but doesn’t know what Lohia stood for. If they only read Lohia, will they be able to escape from the Muslim religion,”the chief minister said.
