Know the inside story behind Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat’s admonishing comment on the temple-mosque dispute.

New Delhi : Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat has again spoken amid the temple-mosque controversy rising at different places in the country. Again advice has been given to Hindu leaders. The advice is not to raise issues like Ram Mandir anywhere else. Without taking anyone’s name, he/she even said that after the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, some people are trying to prove themselves as ‘leaders of Hindus’ by raising such issues. The Sangh chief had given similar advice to Hindu leaders two-two and a half years ago also. Now why did the situation arise with such advice? Know the inside story of the latest statement.What has the Sangh chief said now?
The first thing to talk about is Bhagwat’s latest comment as to what the Sangh chief said. During an event in Pune on Thursday, Bhagwat said that after the construction of Ram temple, some people feel that by raising similar issues in other places too, they will become the ‘leader of Hindus’. On the subject of ‘Vishwaguru Bharat’, Bhagat said, ‘Ram temple was a matter of faith, and Hindus felt that it should be built… Raising issues about some new sites out of hatred and enmity is unacceptable.’

Mohan Bhagwat said that India should set an example of harmonious co-existence of all religions and ideologies. he/she said, ‘Militance, aggression, use of force and insulting other’s gods are not our culture…There is no majority or minority here; We are all one. In this country everyone should follow their own method of worship and should be allowed to follow it.

Why did Bhagwat have to give advice again?
Even in June 2022, Mohan Bhagwat had advised to avoid temple-mosque dispute. At that time the issue of survey of Gyanvapi Mosque of Banaras was quite heated. There was a demand for a survey considering Taj Mahal also as a temple. The Sangh chief had then said, ‘One should not raise a new issue every day. Why increase disputes?…Why look for Shivlinga in every mosque?’

Now if Bhagwat has to give the same advice again, it is because new temple-mosque disputes have come to the fore at different places. When the movement was going on for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, the demand of the Hindu leaders in favor of reconciliation was that if the Muslim side handed over the disputed religious places of Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura, then the Hindu side would also build temples at other places. Will give up its claim on the mosques built by demolishing them. But reconciliation could not happen. Now after the order of the Supreme Court, Ram temple has been built in Ayodhya. The cases of Kashi and Mathura are pending in the courts but now it seems as if there is a flood of such issues. To ensure that there is no flood of such cases, the Narasimha Rao government at the Center passed the Places of Worship Act, according to which, the status of any religious place as it was on August 15, 1947, will be valid. The same nature of that religious place will be considered.

Flood of temple-mosque disputes in new places
Temple-mosque disputes have come to light at many places in recent times. In Sambhal, UP, there was so much chaos regarding the survey of Jama Masjid there on the orders of the court that 5 people died in the clash between the crowd opposing the survey and the police. After Sambhal, claims of temples under mosques came to light in many places like Badaun, Fatehpur Sikri, Bareilly. Cases reached the courts. Apart from these, Ajmer Sharif is being claimed to be a Hindu temple. Similar claims have been made regarding Atala Masjid of Jaunpur. It is argued that the invaders in their respective times demolished temples and built mosques over them.

Supreme Court has ordered the courts not to accept new cases
Amidst the increasing number of temple-mosque disputes and new controversies being raised continuously, the Supreme Court has recently made it clear that till its decision on the validity of the Places of Worship Act, no court will hear any such new case. Will not do. Will not give any effective order even in old cases. In fact, the constitutional validity of the Places of Worship Act has been challenged in the Supreme Court through several petitions. After this decision of the apex court, efforts to create temple-mosque dispute at new places will fail.

Danger of deteriorating communal harmony
The emergence of such new issues can harm communal harmony. That is why the Sangh chief has again had to advise that issues like Ram Temple should not be raised at new places.