Days after being accused of polarising voters with a tweet that appeared to call for a “temple in Mathura,” Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said in a controversial speech on Friday that the state’s poor law and order situation was caused by people wearing “skull caps who threatened traders,” among other things. Skull caps are commonly connected with Muslim men’s clothing.
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During the Samajwadi Party’s control in the state, the BJP leader accused the Samajwadi Party of harbouring criminals while threatening and intimidating merchants and traders. “All of the things I’m stating have happened “While speaking to a divisional meeting of dealers, he remarked. Mr Maurya appeared to suggest earlier this week that plans were being made for a temple in Mathura, the western UP town where a prominent mosque, the Shahi Idgah, is located right next to the Krishna janmabhoomi or birthplace, and where a prominent mosque, the Shahi Idgah, is located right next to the Krishna janmabhoomi or birthplace.
Mr Maurya tweeted on Wednesday, “A great temple is being constructed in Ayodhya and Kashi; Mathura preparations are underway.” The phrases looked to be a play on a slogan used by right-wing parties following the destruction of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in the early 1990s.
The right-wing Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha called off a planned march to Mathura to erect a Lord Krishna idol following elaborate rites at the Shahi Idgah two days ago. Last year, a civil court in Mathura denied a plea to “reclaim” the Krishna janmabhoomi, alleging that Mughal ruler Aurangzeb damaged a portion of a temple at the spot said to be Lord Krishna’s birthplace. The petition also demanded that the mosque next to the shrine, the Shahi Idgah, be demolished.
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Mayawati, the BSP’s leader, replied by stating it is the party’s “final attempt” to avoid loss in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. The remark made by UP Deputy Chief Minister Maurya before of the next assembly elections that temple building is underway in Ayodhya and Kashi, and that Mathura is currently being prepared, confirms the BJP’s defeat. People should be wary of the last technique (Akhiri hatkande), which is Hindu-Muslim politics,” Maywati stated in a Hindi tweet.
