BJP's Giriraj Singh appeals to Muslim side: 'Hand over Gyanvapi mosque to Hindus'
Giriraj Singh said in order to maintain communal harmony, the Kashi mosque must be handed over to Hindus.
New Delhi: After the ASI survey found remnants of a temple in Varanasi's Gyanvapi mosque, BJP leader and union minister Giriraj Singh said on Friday that the Muslim side should hand over the mosque to Hindus.
'The Pran Pratishtha (consecration) at the Ram temple (in Ayodhya) has been done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Sanatanis have welcomed it... But our demand has always been Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura," Singh was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
He said in order to maintain communal harmony, the Kashi mosque must be handed over to Hindus.
"I will appeal to my Muslim brothers, when all evidence is out, hand over Kashi to Hindus, so that communal harmony is maintained. We have not broken any mosques after independence, but there is no temple left in Pakistan," he said.
Singh said the youths of India will become Maharana Pratap if someone tries to be Babur.
"If someone tries to be Babur or Aurangzeb, youths will have to become Maharana Pratap. You should ensure peace is maintained, the ball is in your court," Singh added.
‘Temple remains found at Gyanvapi site’
Vishnu Shankar Jain, who represents the Hindu side in the Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath case, said on Thursday that the ASI survey suggests the mosque was built on the remains of a pre-existing temple.
He said the mosque was built in the 17th century after Aurangzeb demolished a grand Hindu temple.
Jain claimed the debris of the statues of Hindu gods was found in two basements during the survey. A stone with "mahamukti" inscribed on it has also been found, he added.
He said the western wall of the mosque has a ghanta and a swastik inscribed on it.
"These evidence indicate that when the temple of Adivishwara was demolished by Aurangzeb in the 17th century, a grand temple was pre-existing there," Jain claimed.
Meanwhile, the mosque's managing committee has said the report is not the final word of a court.
Mohd Yasin, the secretary of the committee, said, "This is just a report and not a 'faisala' (judgment). There are several kinds of reports. It is not the final word on the issue."
Asaduddin Owaisi yesterday said the report is based on conjecture.
"This wouldn’t stand academic scrutiny before any set of professional archaeologists or historians. The report is based on conjecture and makes a mockery of scientific study. As a great scholar once said 'ASI is the handmaiden of Hindutva'," he wrote on X.
With inputs from PTI
