Gorakhpur: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath evoked sharp reaction from Opposition Samajwadi Party after he said that Gyanvapi is an “embodiment of Lord Vishwanath himself” and calling it a mosque is “unfortunate”.
Speaking at an event at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University in Gorakhpur on Saturday, the Chief Minister also threw light on the spiritual significance of Kashi and the revered site of Gyanvapi. “It is unfortunate that some people refer to Gyanvapi as a mosque while it is the embodiment of Lord Vishwanath himself,” he said.
Gyanvapi mosque controversy
Gyanvapi mosque located next to Varanasi’s ancient Kashi Vishwanath Temple has been at the centre long-pending legal dispute with the Hindu side claiming that the mosque was built on the remains of pre-existing temple. The Muslim side, however, contested the assertion and said there is no conclusive evidence to substantiate the claim. The Archaeological Survey of India has last year carried out the scientific survey of the Gyanvapi premises to determine whether the 17-th century mosque was constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple.
SP’s sharp attack at CM
Hitting out at Adityanath over his statement, SP spokesperson Abbas Haidar accused him of disrespecting the court by making a stamen over a sub-judice matter. “The matter is pending in the court. It is unfortunate that the chief minister has taken the oath of the Constitution, but it seems he is not giving due respect to the court,” Haidar was quoted as saying by PTI. The SP leader also accused the Chief Minister of trying to create divide in the society for “vested political interests”.
Backing the Chief Minister, UP BJP spokesperson that historic, archaeological and spiritual evidence categorically indicate that Gyanvapi is a temple. Mahant of Ayodhya’s Hanumangarhi temple Raju Das also reiterated Adityanath’s remarks and said that Gyanvapi is a temple and that only the “foolish people” call it a mosque. “Even if a blind person puts his or her hand over the structure, he or she would get a feeling of all the symbols of ‘Sanatan’,” he added.
