Lucknow: Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, stated on Saturday that it is “unfortunate” to refer to Gyanvapi as a mosque. He described it as a “Lord Vishwanath embodiment.”
Yogi Adityanath described Gyanvapi as a ‘Lord Vishwanath embodiment’
At the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University, the chief minister inaugurated an international seminar on the topic “Contribution of Nath Panth in Building a Harmonious Society.” There he said, “It is unfortunate that some people refer to Gyanvapi as a mosque while it is the embodiment of Lord Vishwanath himself.”
CONTEXT
According to a report released in January of this year by the Archaeological Survey of India, “there existed a large Hindu temple prior to the construction of the mosque” in the 17th century.
According to the research, there is still evidence of a previous Hindu temple on the western wall, which is composed of stones and adorned with moldings.
A prolonged legal dispute has revolved around the Gyanvapi issue, with the Muslim side rejecting the Hindu side’s assertion that the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi was constructed on the foundation of an earlier temple.
POLITICAL UPROAR IN UTTAR PRADESH
Samajwadi Party, the opposition, criticized Adityanath for his comments. “It appears that Yogi Adityanath does not respect the court. The legal case is still underway. Although it is unfortunate, it appears that the CM is not treating the court with the appropriate respect despite having taken the Constitutional oath,” said SP spokesperson Abbas Haidar, while speaking to PTI.
“Historic, archaeological, and spiritual evidence categorically indicate that Gyanvapi is a temple,” stated Manish Shukla, a BJP spokesman for Uttar Pradesh.
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