Reuters revive Hindu and Muslim conflict rallies in Indian government over major polls

By Alasdair Pal and Saurabh Sharma

MATHURA, India (Reuters) – In the streets of a famous religious site in the Indian city of Mathura, a temple and a mosque are next to each other, most of the remaining Muslim restaurants are mostly empty or closed.

The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh last year banned meat, a Hindu monk who ordered it for religious reasons, has reduced their trade.

Now the saffron-clad Yogi Adityanath, who is due to be re-elected in state polls next month, has turned his attention to the temple itself, suggesting he will defend the Hindu cause in a lengthy discussion with Muslims who own the site.

The issue has become the centerpiece of a campaign to spread power in Uttar Pradesh, with 200 million people living and a relief from national politics.

Hindus and Muslims have been arguing for decades over who should control the site, echoing other clashes in India, sometimes leading to deadly clashes between the two communities.

Despite the occasional community violence in India, clashes erupted across the country in early 2020 over a citizenship law that was said to be discriminatory by Muslims. Dozens of people were killed.

Now Muslims in the city have been concerned about references to the Mathura case in campaign rallies and social media, according to interviews with more than 20 residents.

“An old case that has been fixed … is being revived because we have a new triumphalist Hinduism,” said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author of several books on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Hindu nationalist movement.

“Greater importance is given to playing cards in the temple.”

According to opinion polls, Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Adityanath member will win votes in Uttar Pradesh despite strong disagreements over the pandemic’s management of the economy and government.

The chief minister, seen by some analysts as Midi’s successor, voted “80% versus 20%”, but did not fully explain the figures. The percentages are in line with the Hindu and Muslim share of the population of the entire state.

Adityanath’s office did not respond to a request for comment on Mathura’s situation.

‘NOTHING TO FEAR’

The BJP brought Uttar Pradesh to power in the first Hindu agenda in 2017, and did not present a single Muslim candidate. Indians vote for powerful state legislatures separately from parliamentary elections across the nation.

The victory reflected the party’s dominance at the national level, with Modi calling for a Hindu majority since he came to power in 2014.

The main opposition congressional party has accused Hindus of putting themselves and the BJP in the first place, discriminating against minorities and risking violence. Modik has defended his history and his economic and social policy benefits all Indians.

Jamal Siddiqui, the chairman of the BJP’s minority committee, said the party was working to increase the number of minority candidates in Uttar Pradesh and four other states that will go to the polls next month.

“I expect the minority community to participate in the election and the government,” he told Reuters. “The Modi government has protected all religious sites for all religions. Now, instead of fearing saffron, Muslims are approaching.”

Among Muslims in Mathura, the BJP’s suspicion was sparked by misleading claims by opposition parties, Siddiqui added.

‘No Commitment’

Among the holiest cities of Hinduism, Mathura, 150 km south of New Delhi, is said to be the birthplace of Krishna, one of the most important Hindu gods.

A standing temple in the famous place of his birth was destroyed and replaced by a mosque known as Shahi Eidgah in the 17th century. century in the Mughal Islamic empire. The set of Hindu temples built in the 1950s is now a mosque.

An agreement was reached in 1968 to consolidate land use, and the two structures remained as “two sisters” until legal action to demolish the mosque began in 2020, said Z. Hassan Eidgah, chairman of the board of trustees.

“I have been here for 55 years. I have not felt any tension between Hindus and Muslims,” ​​he said. “This idea has only been around in recent years because there are two communities.”

A lawsuit filed by several Hindu priests in a local court alleges that the 1968 agreement was fraudulent.

“This land is very important to us,” said Vishnu Jain, a substitute lawyer for the applicants. “I don’t believe in any conversation. There can only be one compromise: they will be out of this property.”

Both sides hope the case will last for many years.

The local conflict has been taken over by Adityanath and several other BJP leaders in the campaign.

He said in a statement last month that the construction of a temple in Mathura, in line with a similar development in Ayodhya, was “underway” without giving further details.

Ayodhya was the scene of community violence in 1992 and 1993, in which more than 2,000 people were killed by a mob in the 16th century. After the demolition of the Babri Masjid Mosque in the 16th century, many Hindus said it was the birthplace of Lord Rama – another important god.

A court ruling allowing Babri Masjid to build a temple in place was a major campaign issue in the 2019 general election, when the BJP increased its majority.

‘THE EARTH IS OURS’

Many Hindu people in Mathura support plans to reclaim the land from the mosque.

“The land is ours and needs to be returned,” said Bipin Goswami, a 19-year-old with a saffron face soaked in sandalwood paste.

Local authorities mobilized thousands of security personnel in December after the Hindu groups announced an attempt to place a statue of Krishna inside a mosque on the anniversary of the destruction of Babri Masjid.

The attempt failed, but in the mosque, which has been ringed with wire and watchtowers since the early 1990s, police verify the ID cards of everyone who enters the complex.

Aved Khan, a 30-year-old Muslim with a food cart in Mathura, said he changed his business name from Srinath Dosa to American Dosa Corner after a group of men asked him to stop using the Hindu name.

“You are a Muslim, how can you have this name?” asked one of the men, throwing signs at the booth, according to a police report in August.

Rajesh Mani Tripathi, the national president of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Dal – a strong Hindu group behind the attempt to install the state – told Reuters that he was one of the men involved in the clash.

“If he is a Muslim, he should write his name on the banner and not deceive people by mentioning a Hindu name,” he said.

Muslims in Mathura also denounced Adityanath’s decision to ban meat within a 3km radius of the temple in September.

At the empty Royal Restaurant, one of the few in the area that remains open, it makes traditional lamb kebabs and chicken tick with soy.

“There was no tension here before the BJP,” said Sajid Anwar, standing in front of his closed Labbaik restaurant.

Anwar said there was no demand for vegetarian food among Muslims. He is awaiting election results before deciding whether to close permanently.

“If Yogi returns, I’ll have to look for another profession.”