NEW DELHI: Sadhus belonging to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have begun to lay claim to Jama Masjidin Delhi on the ground that it was originally a Vishnu temple.
The VHP has been calling for a Ram temple at Ayodhya, a Krishna temple at Mathura and a Shiv mandir at Kashi Vishwanath. At each of these sites, a masjid adjoins the temple.
Speaking to Reporters, Vamdev Maharaj, convenor of the Ram Janambhoomi Jimodhar Kram Samiti of the VHP said that until the “Muslim fundamentalists” decide to surrender three temples at one go, the sadhus would continnue with their agitation for the “liberation of three temples.”
According to Vamdev Maharaj, the Muslim community did not give up its claim to Ayodhya it is the “Hindu samsajy” which had taken Ayodhya. “We took it ourselves,” he said. That left Mathura and Varanasi on the agenda. The Jama Masjid has been added to this list now, he said.
He maintained that if the “Hindu Samaj” managed to get Varanasi also, just as it did Ayodhya, the sadhus would then add another to the list to keep it at three.
According to him, “whoever will Support us on these issues will get our support” in the next elections. The sadh maintained that the VHP has listed out 3000 such sites where masjids were raised on temple structures and that it wanted only three. “We do not want a masjid which they build for praying” he said.
At a Press conference recently, Swami Muktanand and Vamdev Maharaj had rejected the Constitution as “antiHindu” and called for a fresh document. This was followed by another Press conference in which a similardem and was made by Acharya Dharmendra.
In a Press briefing, Swami Muktanand and Vamdey Maharaj shifted from their earlier stand and clarified that they had not reacted the Constitution as such but had questioned the manner of its execution and implementation which was “undemocratic.”
Addressing a Press conference earlier, the VHP leader announced to Sant Samit would hold an Akhil Bhantiya Sant Sammellan at Prayagraj on Jan.25 to decide on the direction to give to the country on the “irrelevant constitutional provisions,” to promote nationalism and patriotism and examine the Ayodhya developments.
The religious leaders, the VHP and the BJP, which have opposed any move to construct a mosque inside the Panch Kosi Pankrama of the Janamsthan, on Friday added anew condition to it. According fo Vamdey Maharaj and Swami Moktanand, the mosque, if it is built, should not only be outside the panch kosi pankrama it should also not be called Baba Masjid. They decided that any move to make a Babn Masjid in any part of the country would be opposed by them. According to them, Babar was a deshdrohi,” a traitor, and there should be no monument to his name.
They also said that unless the Government allowed darshan of the idols at Ayodhya, the “sadhu samaj” would march to the town. It would be cowardice to tolerate a situation in which free darshan is not allowed, they said. According to them, the date of the march would be decided later and would come when the sadhus fasting in Ayodhya make an appeal to this effect.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 8, 1993
