Mosques removed for development should not be viewed through communal lens: BJP Minority Morcha chief
BJP Minority Morcha national president Kunwar Basit Ali on Monday said the demolition or relocation of mosques for development projects should not be viewed through a communal lens, arguing that temples and other places of worship have also been affected by infrastructure works.
"Speaking of the INDIA bloc, it should hold a press conference in Saudi Arabia. It should show the courage to acknowledge that when a government undertakes development work, be it a mosque, a temple or any place of worship, if required, they are relocated and rebuilt for infrastructure and progress, even in Muslim nations," Ali told reporters here.
He said temples had also been removed in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh to facilitate development projects.
"Our chief minister (Yogi Adityanath) even allowed portions of his own residence (at the Gorakhnath temple complex) to be altered for development work. When an infrastructure plan requires work, the administration carries it out; it does not stem from religious malice or opposition to any faith or religious site," he said.
Ali also accused the Congress of misleading Muslims and provoking protests over issues such as the Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Register of Citizens, debates over the Constitution and allegations of electoral malpractice.
"The Congress office operates like an agency that misleads and instigates Muslims and attempts to drive them to the streets," he alleged.
On the BJP's organisational activities in Jammu and Kashmir, Ali expressed confidence that the party, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, would form the next government in the Union territory.
Asked whether statehood would be restored to Jammu and Kashmir before the next Assembly elections, due in 2029, Ali said the Centre was aware of the aspirations of people in the region.
"Whatever issues and sentiments matter to the common Kashmiri, Modi knows them very well," he said.
"Whatever is best for Kashmir, the Central government under Modi will make that decision," he added.
On the delay in restoring statehood, Ali said the BJP would consider legitimate demands and welfare measures if it formed the government in Jammu and Kashmir.
"When a BJP government is formed here, be it a demand from the legislative assembly or the aspirations of the common man – issues will be addressed with utmost seriousness under Modi and Amit Shah's leadership," he said.
Ali also accused the previous governments of using Muslims as a vote bank and alleged that the National Conference, Congress and other opposition parties had "confused and misguided" Muslims for decades.
He claimed that people in Kashmir were now moving away from what he described as that political "trap", and credited the Modi government with a change in the region's image.
"Now, under Modi's leadership, the same Kashmir is recognised across the country for tourism, love, the fragrance of saffron, and a sense of belongingness and love. The whole country is now witnessing the talent and skill that Kashmir possesses," he said.
