Linking the ramping-up Mathura mosque dispute with the Uttar Pradesh elections, the renowned political analyst Dr.Ram Puniyani said, “As the dissent is growing fast among the public against the swinging inflation, growing unemployment rate, searing poverty and simmering famine besides the farmers too are living through the hard times, the crippling BJP is trying hard to make a political gain through ratcheting up the communal issue again.”
He was recording his statement over a fresh burning issue at Mathura – where one community claims is the birth place of Lord Krishna while the Eidgah already exists on other side of the wall, became a hot topic again as the ministers and senior leaders of the BJP has started taking aim at the issue.
While claiming that the disputed land in Mathura is a birth place of Lord Krishna, some fringe groups try to target Muslim rulers blaming them of trampling the religious places of the Hindu community.
Recalling that the Deputy Chief Minister Kashev Prasad recently radiated the issue saying ‘After Babri Masjid, now it’s Mathura’s turn’ and the slogans like ‘Nand Lal Hum aaenge makhan tumhe khilaenge’ (O Lord! Will come there and serve you the butter) has a cascading message, he said, “They even fixed the date of December 6, – the day when the Babri Mosque was demolished in the year 1992, to roll out their nefarious plan.”
He also recalled that the former prime minister of India late Atal Bihari Vajpaee once announced that ‘the BJP will not raise the issue of Mathura and Kashi if the Muslims voluntarily hand over the Babri Masjid to Hindus.’
“We see political stalwarts like Mahamana, Madan Mohan Malviya, Lala Lajpat Rae in the past but none of them has raised such disputes. However, the whole episode comes to play in the year 1964, soon after the emergence of Vishwa Hindu Parishad on the political annals. “It is this year the VHP has passed a resolution to form a gigantic temple at the place of Babri Masjid by demolishing the mosque,” explained Puniyani.
Later, he said, the VHP included a few more mosques like Kashi and Mathura in its wishlist in the year 1986. They gradually ratchet-up their campaign with an increasing number of Rath Yatras in different parts of the country that sprung up sporadic communal violence. It is an incontrovertible fact that the BJP, from the day one, made strides and grew stronger by raking up mosque issues only to become politically strong by dividing people on communal lines.
However, Dr.Puniyani said, the primary objective behind ratcheting up the issue is to gain political mileage. The whole episode is being played to light the flame of hatred burning as the move is politically motivated. Raising such issues at this crucial point of time is really a matter of grave concern.”
“I hope the people will not give much hoot to the issue and abide by the law,” he said adding that “The policies to polarize the society may not go beating the rap. We need a society where peace should always have an upper hand, where hate mongering will not raise its hood, simply making the unsavory accounts of history as casus belli to incite communal tensions. I also hope that neither the issue will ferment further nor will the people encourage it in the larger interest of the country.”
