Weeks after a Varanasi court allowed Hindu devotees to pray in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque, Trinamool Congress leader Siddiqullah Chowdhury asked the Hindu worshippers to vacate the mosque premises immediately.
He also warned Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that if he comes to West Bengal, he will not be allowed to go out, according to a report published by India Today.
The TMC leader was speaking at a Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind rally in Kolkata demanding a ban on the 'puja' in the Gyanvapi mosque.
“If he (Yogi Adityanath) sits somewhere when in Bengal, he will not be allowed to go out. The Hindu worshippers have forcefully started offering prayers at Gyanvapi mosque. I would tell them to vacate the premises immediately,” the TMC leader said as quoted by India Today.
“Why are they coming to worship in our mosques? We don't go to any temple for prayer. We will not sit quietly if someone tries to convert a mosque into a temple. The Gyanvapi mosque has been there for over 800 years. How can they demolish it?” he added.
The remarks came after the Muslim side alleged a nexus between the state government and the Hindu parties in the case, questioning the presence of the advocate general in the courtroom during the Gyanvapi hearing.
Senior Advocate SFA Naqvi, who represented the Muslim side, on Wednesday, raised questions before Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal on the presence of the advocate general in the hearing at the Allahabad High Court.
"Whatever they (Hindu side) may have claimed in the suit is wrong…averments made are preposterous… Why is the advocate general here?…state government is not a party… If (he is here) there is something between the plaintiff and the state," Bar and Bench quoted Naqvi as saying.
In response to Naqvi's question, Justice Agarwal replied that the advocate general was just assisting. Earlier, the high court had mentioned that the state government was a proper party to the suit.
The hearing was adjourned by the Allahabad High Court to February 12. The court was hearing a plea challenging the Varanasi district court order allowing Hindu prayers in a cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi.
The Varanasi district court allowed the Hindu side to perform prayers before the idols in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque.
