The state’s Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya‘s recent tweet on the Krishna Temple in Mathura has sparked a political tempest, with opposition leaders claiming that the BJP is returning to its Hindutva politics now that it has scented defeat. On Wednesday, Maurya stoked the political fires by announcing that the party is planning to build a large temple in Mathura, as well as temples in Ayodhya and Kashi.
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“Lord Shri Krishna is said to have been born at Mathura. Political observers believe the senior BJP official made the remark before of the UP-Assembly election to bolster the party’s support base in the state. The alleged temple location, which has been the subject of several litigation, is housed in an Aurangzeb-era Mosque in Mathura and shares its grounds with a well-known temple.
Following a statement by the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha to build a Lord Krishna idol at the deity’s ‘real birthplace,’ which it says is within the mosque, the Mathura district government issued prohibitory orders under CrPC section 144 on November 28. Navneet Singh Chahal, the District Magistrate, has stated that “nobody would be permitted to disturb the peace and tranquilly in Mathura.” The CrPC’s Section 144 forbids gatherings of four or more individuals in one location. The statement, according to Samajwadi Party head Akhilesh Yadav, indicates that the BJP is feeling loss.
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He told a news programme that “this (Maurya’s tweet) implies that the BJP has scented a certain loss in the upcoming UP Assembly elections.” In the meanwhile, the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha has cancelled its planned march to the Shahi Eidgah to place a Lord Krishna statue. On December 6, the Mahasabha intended to place an idol of Lord Krishna at the Shahi Eidgah after elaborate ceremonies, putting the district authorities on high alert.
