Yogi Adityanath slams claims that the area where Maha Kumbh was being held was Waqf property :::: "Reclaiming heritage is not a bad thing" .... "Disputed structures shouldn't be called mosques"

Yogi Adityanath on mandir-masjid debate: What's wrong with reclaiming heritage?

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister speaking at AajTak's Dharma Sansad event, slammed claims that the area where Maha Kumbh was being held was Waqf property.

"A Harihar temple was demolished in Sambhal in 1596 and a structure was built. It is even mentioned in Ain-i-Akbari," the Chief Minister said.

The petitioners have claimed that it was mentioned in 'Baburnama' and the 'Ain-i-Akbari' that a Harihar temple was at the site where the Jama Masjid now stands. The Ain-i-Akbari is a document on the administration of the Mughal Empire under Akbar. It was written by his court historian, Abul Fazl.  

Speaking on the violence in Sambhal over a court-mandated survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, Adityanath highlighted that the Puranas mention Sambhal as the birthplace of Kalki, the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The violence claimed five lives and left over 20 injured.  

"Reclaiming heritage is not a bad thing. 

Sanatan proof is now visible in Sambhal. Disputed structures shouldn't be called mosques. 

India won't be run on the Muslim League mentality," Adityanath said, referring to the Shahi Jama Masjid dispute in the Uttar Pradesh town that sparked violence last year.

These strong  remarks come close on the heels of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat expressing "concern" over the raft of temple-mosque disputes and advised people against raking up such contentious issues.

'WHEN MAURITIAN PM AVOIDED DIP IN GANGA'

The CM said that the Ganga has become clean now due to the work of the double-engine government. 

"When the Mauritian PM visited Varanasi in 2019, they visited Prayagraj where Kumbh was going on. He, along with his family, took a holy dip at the Sangam after seeing the change that had happened in six years," the fiery Hindutva leader said.

The Chief Minister also took a swipe at the Samajwadi Party over the cleanliness of the Ganga, claiming that the Prime Minister of Mauritius avoided taking a dip in the holy river after seeing the filth in the area when he visited the Kumbh in 2013.

"In 2013, when the Prime Minister of Mauritius came to India to take a holy dip in the Ganga, he went back after seeing pollution, filth, and mismanagement during the Kumbh," Adityanath said. 

In 2013, the Samajwadi Party was in power in the state, with Akhilesh Yadav as the Chief Minister.