"Mohan Bhagwat Isn't Feeling Hindus' Pain": Shankaracharya On Temple Remark

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has been criticised by a prominent spiritual leader over his recent remark against raking up temple-mosque disputes. "Mohan Bhagwat does not understand the plight of Hindus," said Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati on Wednesday.

"Several Hindu temples are being demolished. This is the truth. He is not feeling the pain of Hindus. It is clear from his statement. He does not truly understand the plight of Hindus," he said.

The RSS chief had on December 19 expressed concern over the resurgence of several temple-mosque disputes and asserted that certain individuals, after the construction of Ayodhya's Ram temple, seem to believe they can become "leaders of Hindus" by raking up such issues.

"Mohan Bhagwat has claimed that some people raise these issues to become leaders, but I want to clarify that ordinary Hindus do not aspire to become leaders," Swami Avimukteshwaranand said.

Mr Bhagwat, delivering a lecture in Pune on 'India-The Vishwaguru,' at Sahjeevan Vyakhyanmala (lecture series), advocated for an "inclusive society."

"Raking up new issues every day for disdain and enmity should not be done. What is the solution here? We should show the world that we can live in harmony, so we should have a little experiment in our country," he had said.

His comments also sparked a political controversy with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav saying that the RSS chief must make his appeal for "harmony" to the BJP. "If he even makes a call to the chief minister (Yogi Adityanath), then there will be no survey and no such controversy," Mr Yadav said.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh slammed Mr Bhagwat's statement and termed it as "double standards".

Uttar Pradesh has witnessed several litigations filed in various courts related to temple-mosque disputes from Sambhal's Shahi Jama to Budaun's Jama Masjid Shamsi, Atala Masjid in Jaunpur and Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, where Hindu petitioners have sought permission to offer prayers, claiming that ancient temples existed at the sites where the mosques now stand.

Recently, clashes between protestors and police over the court-ordered survey of the Jama Masjid in Sambhal resulted in five deaths in November. Dozens were injured in the violence that also triggered a massive political row. The issue also reached the Supreme Court, which halted survey action and directed the mosque's management committee to approach the Allahabad High Court.