Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s remarks on the Gyanvapi mosque come ahead of a crucial verdict by Allahabad high court.
Weighing in on the controversy surrounding the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has suggested that the Muslim society should offer a solution for the “historical mistake”. In a podcast with ANI Editor Smita Prakash, Yogi Adityanath, who is also the head priest of Gorakhnath Mutt in Gorakhpur, said the walls of Gyanvapi are “screaming” and calling it a mosque will cause “dispute”.
“If we call it a mosque, there will be a dispute. I feel whoever has been blessed with sight by God, that person should see. What is a trishul (trident) doing inside a mosque? We did not put it there. There is a jyotirlinga, dev pratimas (idols),” the chief minister said.
“The walls are screaming and saying something. I feel there should be a proposal from the Muslim society that there has been a historical mistake and we need a solution,” he added.
Adityanath’s comment on Gyanvapi mosque came ahead of Allahabad high court’s verdict on a plea against a lower court order directing the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a survey to determine if the mosque was built upon a temple.
The high court also ordered that the stay on the ASI survey will continue till August 3. The court was hearing the plea filed by Anjuman Intezamia Masjid, which manages the mosque.
While the dispute dates back decades, on July 21, while hearing a petition by four Hindu women, the Varanasi district court directed ASI to conduct a comprehensive survey, using dating, excavation and ground penetrating radar (GPR) techniques, of the plot where the mosque stands, next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The judge, however, excluded a section – where the Hindu side claims a Shivling was found and the Muslims say the structure is part of a fountain – that has remained sealed since a Supreme Court order in May 2022.
