Sharply reacting to Varanasi district Court’s Order in connection to the Gyanvapi Mosque the Left parties said that wrong interpretation of Places of Worship Act 1991 by a section of judiciary will lead to serious consequences including redefining the very basic character of India.
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The Left parties comments come at a time when the Congress continues to maintain a studied silence on the issue.
The Places of Worship Act 1991 provides for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on the 15th day of August, 1947. Ram Temple of Ayodhya being the only exception. In an Order on Monday the court has said that suits seeking the right to worship inside the mosque are maintainable and are not barred. CPI(M) polit bureau in a statement said that the Order clearly violates the 1991 law.
“Wrong interpretations of the law by sections of the judiciary will lead to serious consequences of the kind that the law was meant to prevent. It is no secret that the ruling party is hell bent on a distorted interpretation of history to target minority communities,” the party said.
It also pointed out that the claims that the present day mosques were built on sites where temples were destroyed has been a longstanding method to whip up religious sentiments and to use this for a communal agenda.
“The 1991 law is to uphold the paramount national interest of communal harmony and to prevent a plethora of motivated petitions such as those in Mathura and Varanasi,” the statement said.
CPI General Secretary D. Raja also flagged several statements made by leaders both within the BJP and the outfits affiliated to the BJP on how the events at Gyanvapi could pave the way forward for other such monuments.
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“It is a dangerous trend, where elected representatives are out to challenge a law passed by the Parliament and are also working towards redefining the secular nature of our country. By undermining the Places of Worship Act 1991 we are pushing the country to a bottomless abyss where we will continue fighting over each and every monument,” he said.
He also hit out at the Congress for failing to understand the gravity of the situation. “It is a new situation and the Congress should understand that keeping mum is not an option,” Mr. Raja added.
