Calling Gyanvapi a Mosque could create dispute: CM Yogi

Varanasi, Jul 31: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said that Muslim petitioners in the Gyanvapi mosque case should come forward with a proposal to fix what he called a "historic blunder".

 

 

 

Adityanath's remarks came three days ahead of the verdict by the Allahabad High Court, which had stayed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, ordered by a Varanasi court to determine whether the structure was built upon a temple.

 

 

 

In an interview with editor Smita Prakash on the ANI podcast, Adityanath asked what a trishul (trident) was doing on the mosque premises. He said the government wanted to resolve the long-standing issue. "If we call it a mosque, then it will be a dispute... What is the trident doing there in the mosque? We did not keep it. There is a jyotirlinga and deities are there," he said. "I think there should be a proposal from the Muslim side to fix the historical blunder. We want a solution to this mistake," the Chief Minister added. National President Of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, Swami Chakrapani Maharaj, endorsed Adityanath's comments on the Muslim side to bring forward a proposal on the Gyanvapi matter. He said it was a good opportunity for the Muslim petitioners to give a message of brotherhood and goodwill. The Gyanvapi mosque committee moved the Allahabad High Court on July 25 (Tuesday), a day after the Supreme Court halted the ASI survey till 5 pm on Wednesday (July 26), allowing time for the committee to appeal against the lower court's order.

 

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The high court on July 26 extended the stay on the ASI survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises. During the hearing, a senior ASI official told the court that the ASI team was not going to "destroy the structure (mosque)" in any way. After hearing the plea by Anjuman Intezamia Masjid, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque, Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker posted the matter for further hearing on Thursday. The court ordered that the stay on the ASI survey will continue till then. The next day, the court reserved its order on the matter till August 3.