The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sharply criticised Congress on Friday for submitting a plea in the Supreme Court in support of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. The BJP has accused the Congress party of declaring open war against Hindus. In a post on the social media platform X, BJP’s IT Cell Chief Amit Malviya likened Congress to the “new Muslim League”.
In his post, Malviya said, “The Congress consented to India’s partition along religious lines. Following this, it introduced the Waqf law, enabling Muslims to claim properties at will and establish mini-Pakistans across the country. It later enacted the Places of Worship Act, 1991, effectively denying Hindus the right to reclaim their historical and religious sites. Now, the Congress has approached the Supreme Court, seeking to deny Hindus their fundamental constitutional right to legal remedies for addressing historical injustices. It has urged the top court to dismiss petitions challenging the Places of Worship Act, 1991, under the pretext of ‘safeguarding secularism’. The Congress has declared open war against Hindus. It is the new Muslim League.”
Additionally, the BJP has historically opposed the Places of Worship Act since it was enacted by the then-Narasimha Rao government amidst the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. The Act states that the character of places of worship as they existed on 15th August 1947 is to be frozen, except for the Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya. Malviya said that the plea submitted by Congress in the apex court denies Hindus their fundamental constitutional right to legal remedies for addressing historical injustices. He further accused Congress of pushing its agenda under the guise of “safeguarding secularism”.
The Supreme Court is hearing petitions challenging the Act. The petitions argue that the Act violates constitutional rights, including Articles 14, 15, 25, 26, and 29. Furthermore, the petitioners have contended that sites like Gyanvapi in Varanasi, Shahi Eidgah in Mathura, and others were built over Hindu religious sites, namely the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir and Lord Krishna’s birthplace, respectively. The petitions have the support of the Sangh Parivar (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or the RSS).
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