Editorial: Voices of moderation

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s observation that there was no need to search for a ‘Shivling’ in every mosque and start a new dispute everyday must be welcomed. More such voices of moderation and reconciliation are needed at a time when attempts are being made to flare up religious emotions based on contested history. The Sarsanghachalak’s views are widely followed and typically reflect the predominant thinking among the Hindutva ideologues. It is also a matter of relief that Bhagwat made it clear that the RSS was not in favour of launching any movement on the Gyanvapi mosque issue and suggested the Sangh would keep away from Mathura and Kashi and, instead, focus on “character building (Vyakti Nirman)”. After the November 9, 2019 judgment of the Supreme Court on the Ayodhya dispute, the Sangh Parivar organisation appears to have put on hold the campaign to claim possession of other disputed places in the country. Bhagwat made these remarks, loaded with significance for both the Hindutva camp and outsiders, while addressing the concluding ceremony of the RSS officers’ training camp in Nagpur. His statement, though belated, defuses weeks of comments by right wing groups and leaders that indicated the matter could turn into street mobilisation, making some to even draw parallels with the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992. While supporting the Hindu claim over the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi on grounds of both issues of faith and historical facts, the RSS chief, however, advised his fellow ideological travellers to accept the decision of the judicial system in the matter.

Ultimately, the people involved in the Gyanvapi mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute should sit together and find a way with mutual consent. The RSS chief’s assurance that the Sangh does not support claims from across the country regarding numerous historical sites must also be welcomed. However, the problem is that the very people who have been hunting for “Shivlings in every mosque are either directly linked to the universe of the RSS, or members of the many new Hindu identity assertion groups that have sprung up. Since the Gyanvapi dispute erupted in April, many Hindutva supremacists have made claims about the existence of temples and Hindu idols at mosques across India. As a result, tensions have been brewing. Hindu and Muslim petitioners are fighting a legal battle over a court-ordered filming of the mosque complex to check whether there are idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, and whether a “Shivling” has been found, as claimed by the Hindu petitioners. Amid the Gyanvapi row, a petition seeking an inquiry into the “history” of Taj Mahal was rejected by the Allahabad High Court last month. Days later, a Delhi court hearing a plea seeking restoration of Hindu and Jain deities inside the Qutub Minar complex had reserved its order for June 9.