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Hindu groups back remarks; Muslim side, Oppn slam Yogi
Yogi said terming Gyanvapi as a mosque complex will lead to controversy and that the Muslim side should accept its “historical mistake”.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s remarks on Gyanvapi dispute in Varanasi on Monday evoked mixed reactions, with Hindu organisations welcoming it and opposition parties calling it a statement made with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
In a podcast with news agency ANI on Monday, Adityanath said terming Gyanvapi as a mosque complex will lead to controversy and that the Muslim side should accept its “historical mistake” and come up with a solution.
VISHNU SHANKAR JAIN
“It is a welcome statement, which is in tune with hard facts of the case,” said Jain, who is contesting the Gyanvapi case on behalf of Hindu litigants. He is representing Hindu litigants on all legal forums - right from the Supreme Court, Allahabad high court to the Varanasi district court.
SWAMI JITENDRANAND SARASWATI
“The sant samaj wholeheartedly welcomes the chief minister’s statement related to Gyanvapi. Gyan and Vapi are not Urdu and Persian words. Gyan (wisdom) and Vapi (well) together show that it is not a masjid. Gyanvapi is a temple…Muslims should come to the table of discussion and give it back to Hindus,” said Swami Jitendranand Saraswati, general secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti, which works for the cause of seers.
MAHANT HARI GIRI
“If the Muslim side follows Yogi Adityanath’s suggestion, the entire controversy will end and it would be a landmark step towards strengthening Hinu-Muslim relations,” said Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad secretary and chief patron of Juna Akhada (Prayagraj) Mahant Hari Giri. “This would also ensure that all such past and future issues can be resolved mutually by the two communities in harmony,” he said.
“We fully support UP CM’s suggestion in this regard. An initiative by the Muslim community would also nip all efforts aimed at misleading people over the issue in the bud and ensure harmony between the two communities,” he added.
ABAP is the apex decision-making body of the 13 recognised Hindu monastic orders of the country.
SM YASIN
“I don’t want to comment on the statement (by CM). I have nothing to say,” said Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee’s joint secretary SM Yasin. Two day ago he had said, “Gyanvapi Masjid is a Masjid.” The committee looks after the management of Gyanvapi mosque.
QASIM RASOOL ILYAS
“Yogi Adityanath is trying to make Gyanvapi a political issue like Babri Masjid. Basically, if you start with five women giving an application to the court for permission of puja and then angling for the survey of masjid, one can see a Babri repeat,” said All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) spokesperson Qasim Rasool Ilyas.
SUFYAN NIZAMI
“The Gyanvapi issue is subjudice and the matter will not be decided by me or by anyone else,” said Sufyan Nizami, a spokesperson of Darul Uloom Firangi Mahal, in a statement issued on Monday after the CM’s statement on Gyanvapi.
“We have courts and the Constitution in this country. Both Hindu and Muslim litigants are pursuing the matter legally,” he added.
SWAMI PRASAD MAURYA
“Gyanvapi is a mosque. That’s why the issue has gone to the court. Had it been a temple, the matter wouldn’t have gone to the court. Gyanvapi is a mosque; namaz was offered five times daily there. Till the court says otherwise, Gyanvapi will be a mosque. The CM is not bigger than the high court,” said Swami Prasad Maurya, Samajwadi Party national general secretary.
He added: “...because the matter is subjudice, one should avoid making any negative or positive comments on it.”
BRIJLAL KHABRI
UP Congress Committee (UPCC) president Brijlal Khabri said: “The BJP is resorting to such tactics ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls…There may be attempts to create communal tension or other disturbance that may place the BJP in an advantageous position.”
BJP SPOKESPERSON
In a statement, state BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said, “The chief minister made the statement in response to the questions asked by a journalist...The statements that he made on Gyanvapi are based on facts.”
