New Delhi, July 22 (IANS) BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Wednesday said that namaz was offered within the premises of Hanumangarhi temple in Ayodhya.
He clarified his earlier remarks that namaz was not offered on the temple steps, saying it had taken place inside the 52-bigha area of the ancient temple.
Singh said his earlier response was limited to the question of whether prayers were offered on the temple steps.
Addressing the controversy, Singh said he was asked a “straightforward” question by the media on whether namaz had been offered on the steps of Hanumangarhi, and he categorically denied the claim.
“The question the media asked me was very straightforward – whether namaz had been offered on the steps of Hanumangarhi. I said no. Yes, I should have clarified that it was not offered on the steps, but whether it was offered within the premises, inside the 52-bigha area, or at the premises of a saint is a different matter. However, when I was asked whether namaz had been offered on the steps of Hanumangarhi, I was deeply shocked by the very suggestion, and I categorically denied it,” Singh said.
The BJP leader also clarified his earlier remark that a Muslim had constructed Hanumangarhi, saying the statement was incomplete and required a broader historical and religious context.
“I had said that a Muslim had constructed it, but that was only a partial statement. If we look at the Ayodhya Mahatmya, Lord Shiva tells Goddess Parvati that at the main gateway of Ayodhya, on the northern side, Lord Hanuman is present, and on the southern side is Sugriva. If Lord Shiva himself describes Hanumangarhi as existing, then it is not something that was built by any individual. It is a garhi (fortified shrine),” Singh said.
His clarification comes amid a political controversy over remarks related to Hanumangarhi, one of Ayodhya’s prominent religious sites. The issue has drawn reactions from political leaders, with debates intensifying over the history and sanctity of the temple premises.
Earlier this month, during his visit to Ayodhya after a controversy over the alleged theft of Ram temple donation money, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath targeted the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress, questioning their alleged concern for devotees of Lord Ram.
Addressing a public meeting in Bikapur, CM Yogi alleged that previous SP governments had allowed namaz to be offered on the steps of Hanumangarhi temple.
“Imagine, can anyone have the Hanuman Chalisa recited inside the Jama Masjid? Can any government of the day, be it the Samajwadi Party or the Congress, make that happen? Then why did they commit that sin of letting namaz be offered on the steps of Hanumangarhi temple?” Yogi said.
The controversy relates to an incident from 2003, when claims about namaz being offered near Hanumangarhi became a subject of political debate in Uttar Pradesh.
–IANS
rs/dpb
