‘Saraswati idol will be consecrated inside Bhojshala if people want so’

Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Sadhvi Ritambhara on Sunday said an idol of goddess Saraswati will be consecrated inside the Bhojshala if the people wanted.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Sadhvi Ritambhara on Sunday said an idol of goddess Saraswati will be consecrated inside the Bhojshala if the people wanted. The firebrand leader addressed over 4,000 people in MP’s Dhar through a mobile phone from New Delhi after she missed her flight to Indore from where she was to visit Bhojshala by road.

Supporters cheer as Sadhvi Ritambhara addresses them through mobile phone from New Delhi on Sunday. (HT photo)

Her statement comes when communal tension is already mounting in the area ahead of next month’s Basant Panchami.

The 11th century monument has emerged as a religious flashpoint, with Hindus and Muslims vying to offer prayers at the disputed site on February 12, which is a Friday. With both sides reluctant to give up their access to the site, the local administration is apprehensive of fresh trouble around what many call the state’s “mini Ayodhya”.

“When a society resolves to accomplish something, nothing can stop it…If you want to consecrate an idol of goddess Saraswati in Bhojshala, your desire will be fulfilled. Efforts, penance never go in vain,” Ritambhara said.

On the occasion, the Maharaja Bhoj Utsav Samiti declared that they would perform Basant Panchami puja inside Bhojshala for whole day on February 12.

A large number of BJP members, including MP Savitri Thakur, former state minister Ranjana Baghel, MLA Kalu Singh Thakur and district BJP president Raj Barfa were present at the programme in Dhar.