NEW DELHI: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday lashed out at remarks by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on the Gyanvapi issue terming it as a “judicial overreach”.
In an interview with ANI aired today, Adityanth said that terming Gyanvapi as a mosque complex will lead to controversy and the Muslim side should accept its “historical mistake” and come up with a solution.
Responding to this, the AIMIM chief, a staunch critic of Yogi said that despite knowing that the matter is sub-judice the latter was making such a controversial statement which is directly a judicial overreach.
“Chief Minister Yogi knows that the Muslim side has opposed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) survey in Allahabad High Court and the judgement will be given by the HC in a few days, still, he gave such a controversial statement, this is judicial overreach,” said Owaisi.
“He should read about what Swami Vivekananda had said about a major temple if Odisha, he is a CM, he should follow law, he is not willing to follow law and want to pressurise Muslims. In Mathura, the Muslim community has an agreement with Hindus around 50-60 years ago and it was submitted in court but still, a litigation was initiated in it,” Owaisi said.
Further, the Hyderabad MP said, “This is just a part of their (BJP) communal politics and a judicial overreach.”
The Allahabad High Court is expected to give a verdict on a petition against a lower court order for a survey by the Archaeological Survey of India inside the mosque complex, except the ‘wuzukhana’ (fountain).
A ruling on the petition is likely on August 3.
The matter took centrestage when on May 16, last year, during the court-mandated survey, a structure — claimed to be a “Shivling” by the Hindu side and a “fountain” by the Muslim side — was found in the mosque premises. (ANI)