Monday, 10 April 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Bharatiya Janata Party has stated that the Congress comparing mazars to ancient temples on the issue of illegally constructed religious structures is akin to insulting Sanatan culture. The BJP State spokesman Suresh Joshi targeted the Pradesh Congress Committee president and Congress leaders stating that Uttarakhand is the land of temples so comparing illegally constructed mazars with ancient temples will not be tolerated by the people of the State. In a statement issued on Sunday, Joshi termed highly objectionable the statements made by Congress and opposition leaders against the demolition of illegally constructed religious structures which are posing a challenge to Sanatan culture and law and order in the State. “The Congress is comparing mazars to temples just to appease a particular community. It is questionable for the Congress leaders to say that as in the case of ancient temples, the mazars built illegally on government lands should either be regularised or all structures should be viewed similarly and demolished.
Uttarakhand is considered Devbhoomi so comparing illegal structures built purportedly in the memory of a departed soul to the temples is akin to insulting Sanatan culture and Devbhoomi. In our culture even jungles are dedicated to god for environmental and human welfare to protect the forests and enable people to inculcate the importance of the environment. All should welcome action against illegally built structures encroaching in the jungles,” said Joshi. He stressed that the BJP government will not allow such attempts being made by the Congress to succeed.
It will be recalled that chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had recently stated that the government had identified about 1,000 mazars and such structures built illegally on government lands in the State. He had stressed that the government will not allow land jihad in Uttarakhand.
