Controversies with a flash point!

A Member of Parliament of the ruling party in India Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has stoked controversies one after another. MP Vinay Katiyar has not done this for the first time, he had earlier too called the world famous tourist spot  and heritage site  Taj Mahal as “Tajo Mandir” adding that Taj Mahal was originally a ‘Shiv Temple’. However, his choice of words this time hurt sentiments of Indians all around the world especially at a time when the state of Uttar Pradesh is gearing up for holding ‘Taj Mahostav’ in Agra. “Call it Taj Mahotsav or Tej Mahotsav both are the same things. There is not much difference between Taj and Tej. Our Tej Mandir has been turned into a cremation ground by Aurangzeb. Taj Mahal will be converted into Tej Mandir soon.  It is a good thing that a festival is being organized but this Taj Mahal is not the one that existed during the time of Aurangzeb. It was our temple”. MP Vinay Katiyar went on to explain in detail his understanding of Taj Mahal though no archeological authority has ever subscribed to his views. “Taj Mahal was once a Shiv Temple and a ‘Shivaling’ was also built, which was later removed. There are many other signs that show that Mughal mausoleum is a Hindu Temple,” he said.

While the remarks of one elected representative who is known for making communal remarks should not be taken seriously but the damage that it does to the communal harmony is most worrisome. And a day later he came up with rhetoric and this time taking directly on the Muslims in India.  “Muslims shouldn’t even be living in this country; they’re the ones who partitioned this country based on their population, so why do they need to live here? They were given separate territory, they should go to Pakistan or Bangladesh, what business do they have here,” said Katiyar.

Vinay Katiyar has certain agenda in expressing his views specially when a small town Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh is tense for over two weeks as a rally led by BJP youth wing attacked Muslim youth who were getting ready to unfurl the national flag on the occasion of Republic Day resulting in death of two youths and leaving many other injured.

With situation so sensitive, one would have expected an elected representative to be sensitive enough not to hurt sentiments.  But he seems to be in his own league and raising communal issues one after another.  It would have given a sigh of relief to many Indians had a leaders of some stature from his party condemned his statements. Neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor Party leader Amit Shah has come out.

Though Chief Uttar Pradesh Minister Yogi Adityanath has said, “There is no need for us to go into the depth of why the Taj Mahal was built, and who built it and for what purpose. What’s important is that Taj Mahal was built from the blood and sweat of Indian laborers and that of the sons of Bharat Mata.” However, the Yogi government can’t be given a clean chit, as a silent saffronisation of issues in the sensitive Uttar Pradesh has been going on with intent to give the impression that the Hindus are a power to reckon with and the other communities may take a back seat now. Important government building, schools have been painted in saffron (the color that is associated with the BJP, RSS and now with Hindus too).

Adding another dollop of controversy to this was a senior IPS officer, UP’s Home Guards Director General reportedly taking a pledge for early construction of Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. He may now be backtracking with claims that his words were misinterpreted, but it’s clear the officer is in serious breach of rules and regulations governing those in government service.

With serious concern on the concern of law makers and a visible shift towards creating disharmony, shouldn’t the leaders be assuring that Vinay Katiyar and others like him are not given a ticket to contest any elections?