Clamour for Kashi, Mathura to get shriller after court order

| | Lucknow
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Clamour for Kashi, Mathura to get shriller after court order

Saturday, 10 April 2021 | PNS | Lucknow

After the civil court order allowing excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the adjacent Gyanvapi Masjid to ascertain whether the mosque was built atop a temple, the clamour to 'free' Kashi and Mathura is set to gather momentum.

"This court order will provide the political fodder to the right wing parties particularly when Uttar Pradesh will go to polls in early 2022," said political analyst Manish Dixit here.

Some even believe that Kashi and Mathura will now find a place in the election manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"The Ram Mandir is almost done and dusted for the BJP. Construction of the temple is on and it will be dedicated to the people before the next Lok Sabha election. But for UP assembly polls, Mathura and Kashi can be potent weapons and the civil court order has added a new dimension to the state politics," said senior Congress leader Amarnath Agarwal.

The apprehension could be right because the BJP campaign has centered around the slogan 'Ayodhya to jhanki hai, Mathura Kashi baaki hai'. Even during the foundation laying ceremony of Ram Temple, the slogans of free Kashi and Mathura were raised in Ayodhya.

The BJP has hailed the court decision as party's UP Vice-President Vijay Bahadur Pathak said that if there is suspicion that Gyanvapi mosque was built atop a portion of Kashi Vishwanath temple, the ASI survey would find out the truth.

"We don't believe in discord in society but whatever be the truth, it should come to the fore," he said.

A lower court in Varanasi has ordered excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the adjacent Gyanvapi Masjid to ascertain whether the mosque was built atop a temple. The ASI is likely to set up a five-member team that will visit the campus soon.

The Muslims have decided to contest the Varanasi court's order. Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board Chairman Zufar Ahmad Farooqui said that they would challenge the court order in the High Court.

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