Uttar Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has strongly batted for a solution to the Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute in Varanasi and called upon the Muslim side to “admit the historical mistake” and propose a solution. Speaking to news agency ANI, CM Adityanath said that while history can be distorted, the evidence remains all over the structure.
“Trishul masjid ke andar kya kar raha hai? Humne to nahin rakha naa? Wahan to suraksha hai, Central forces hain, unke mutawalli hain, tala-chabhi unke paas rehti hai. Trishul kaise vahan bane hue hain? Jyotirling hai, dev pratimayen hain, poori diwaren chilla-chilla ke kya keh rahi hain? (What is a trident doing inside the mosque? Did we put it there? There is security at the place, Central forces are deployed, their mutawalli or waqf official is there, the lock and key are in his possession. How are tridents carved there then? Jyotirling, idols of deities… what does every part of the structure scream)?” he asked.
Adityanath further said that the Gyanvapi should be referred to as just that and not a mosque as doing the latter could lead to a dispute. “Agar hum usko masjid kahenge to phir vivaad hoga. Humein Gyanvapi bol dena chahiye. Woh Gyanvapi hai (If we call it a mosque, that will lead to a dispute. We should call it Gyanvapi. It is Gyanvapi),” he said.
The Chief Minister suggested that the court, which is hearing the matter, should look at the whole issue and then take a decision on it. “If there is physical, shastriya (classical) and archaeological evidence, a decision should be taken on it,” he said.
The Allahabad High Court last week reserved its verdict in an application filed by the Gyanvapi mosque committee challenging the Varanasi court’s order allowing a scientific survey of the mosque premises by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to ascertain if the “present structure” was built on a “pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple”.
The court, while extending the stay on the ASI survey, reserved its order for August 3.
Yogi Adityanath on Uniform Civil Code
The UP Chief Minister also delved into the issue of the UCC, asserting that the rule of “one nation, one law” must be implemented and be accepted by all citizens of the country.
Responding to a question on the objections by certain quarters to Vande Mataram, Adityanath said that the nation runs by the Constitution and not by faith and religion.
“Aapka matt, aapka mazhab apne tarike se hoga, apne ghar mein hoga, apni masjid, apni ibadatgaah tak hoga. Sadak par pradarshan karne ke liye nahin. Aur isko aap kisi bhi anya tarike se doosre pe thop nahin sakte hain (You may practise your faith, your religion your own way, at your home, mosque, place of prayer. But you can’t use the same for demonstrating on the road. And you cannot impose it on others in any way),” he said.
Adityanath further added that every citizen of the country will have to accept the nation above everything else. “Agar desh mein kisi ko rehna hai toh usko rashtra ko sarvopari manana hoga. Apne matt aur mazhab ko nahin. Matt aur mazhab secondary hai… nation first hai (If one has to live in the country, one has to put nation above everything else. Not faith or religion. Faith and religion are secondary, nation is first).”