New Delhi: Muslims should carry on with their work fearlessly and not be apprehensive about any untoward incident by the Hindu community ahead of the 22 January Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) working president Alok Kumar has said.
In an interview with ThePrint, Kumar said he has full faith in the Hindu community. “I want to tell my Muslim brothers that I have full faith in my Hindu brothers’ maryada (honour code). Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram ka mandir ban raha hai (It is the supreme man of honour Shri Ram whose temple is being built).”
Three days ago, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) president Badruddin Ajmal had during a public address asked Muslims to avoid travelling by train during the Ram temple consecration and asked them to stay home between 20 and 26 January.
Speaking at an event in Barpeta, Assam, he had said: “We will have to be cautious. Muslims should not travel by train from January 20 to January 25…During this period, we should not travel by train and should stay at home. BJP is the biggest enemy of the Muslims. BJP is the enemy of our life, our faith, our azaan (call for prayer)…”
During the interview, VHP’s Kumar recounted an incident from the 90s when Mulayam Singh Yadav, then the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, had — in the midst of the Ram temple movement — said that no one would be able to enter Ayodhya, following which all trains terminated at Lucknow and roads were dug up. “In such a situation, over 1 lakh people travelled 135 km on foot and they could do this because they were charged. They slept in sugarcane fields and in those villages there were so many small mosques but ek bhi masjid ki ek bhi eeth nahi hilayi gayi (not even one brick of any mosque was moved),” said Kumar.
“If this andolan (agitation) would have been against Muslims then not a single masjid would have been saved. This andolan was not against Muslims but against those structures which were built over our temples so that we remain constantly aware of our defeat and humiliation,” he added.
Elaborating on the consecration ceremony, Kumar said over 7,000 people are being invited from all walks of life including priests, politicians, artists, doctors, singers, kar sevaks, among others.
On criticism by some religious leaders that an “incomplete” temple is being inaugurated, Kumar said that the ground floor, where ‘Ram Lalla’ will reside, is completely ready. “Apart from the invitees, we have also reached out to the general public. We are reaching out to over 10 crore people, asking them to participate in the puja from wherever they are.”
He further said: “Aur main kalpana karta hun ki vishwa mei 5 lakh sthano par ekatha hua 7-8 crore ka Hindu samaj jab ek hee samay khada ho kar uss arti mai bhaag lega toh phir ab Hinduwao ki bari hai Bharat ki bari hai ye satya ghoshit ho jayega (When around 7-8 crore members of the Hindu community will participate in the puja from over 5 lakh locations, the truth will be declared — that it is the Hindus’ turn now, it is Bharat’s turn now).”
The VHP working president said they have extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and “with respect also invited the Leader of Opposition and parliamentary party chairperson of Congress”.
“Presidents of all political parties are being invited. I read Kharge ji’s statement that we will get to know who will attend,” Kumar said, adding that the Opposition “is doing politics” over invitations.
On opposition leaders saying that the Ram temple inauguration is being politicised, Kumar said: “Aisa kaun sa samay hai Bharat mei jab chunaav na ho? (When are elections not happening in India?) Had we done this a year ago, you would have said this has been done for the five assembly elections and now that it is ready we don’t call bhagwaan (god) for five months because there is an election? VHP ke dimaag mei chunaav ka ganit nahi hai (VHP is not keeping election calculations in mind),” he added.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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