Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai on Tuesday accused the ruling BJP of tampering with Hindu religious places and claimed that after "ruining" Varanasi's original form, the party has its sights set on Vrindavan and the Vindhyavasini Devi temple in Mirzapur.
He alleged that hundreds of Shivlings and temples were demolished in the name of building the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor after the holy city's original form was "ruined".
"The BJP, which came (to power) in the name of Hindutva, is constantly messing with Hindu religious places. All ancient cities in the world have preserved their (original) form, be it Egypt or Venice. Only the BJP government is destroying old cultural and religious places," the Congress leader alleged.
"First, the original form of Varanasi was ruined. There, hundreds of Shivlings and temples were demolished in the name of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor. The banyan tree was cut down. The Pran Pratishtha of the incomplete Ram temple was done in Ayodhya. Now, Pran Pratishtha is being done again, which never used to happen," Rai said.
The consecration of 'Raja Ram' — Lord Rama in his royal form — along with the installation of idols in eight newly-built temples inside the Ram Janmabhoomi complex was held on June 5.
Alleging that now the BJP has its eyes on the temple of Maa Vindhyavasini in Mirzapur, the Congress leader claimed, "After that, they want to destroy the lanes of Vrindavan as well. All these are places of faith related to God, which the BJP government is turning into tourist places or picnic spots."
Rai claimed that the government is pressuring those who have traditionally served Vrindavan, including Tirtha Purohit Sohanlal Mishra and his community. "These people have come here today with their pain. We will stand with the people of Vrindavan with all our might," Rai stated.
Mishra, who was at the press conference, alleged the present government was committing atrocities that were not witnessed "even during Aurangzeb's reign".