Ahead of UP polls, BJP MP raises Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi issue in Rajya Sabha

He said the law gives 'legal sanctity' to the 'forceful occupation of the Krishna Janmabhoomi and other religious places by foreign invaders'

With Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh just a couple of months away, BJP MP Harnath Singh Yadav raised the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi land dispute issue of Mathura in Rajya Sabha on Thursday and demanded that a law providing for status quo to be maintained be repealed.

Yadav's demand during the Zero Hour immediately attracted objections from the Opposition with MPs like Congress's Anand Sharma and RJD's Manoj K Jha asking how such subjects that had the potential to damage the social fabric were allowed to be raised in the House.

Jha told DH that the Opposition would "collectively" write to the Rajya Sabha Chairman that such issues, which have the "potential to damage the social fabric further", should not be allowed.

Also read: Muslims must hand over mosque near Krishna 'janmabhoomi', says UP minister

Yadav's submission in Rajya Sabha comes a week after Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya tweeted that preparations were under way for the construction of a grand temple in Mathura as in Ayodhya and Varanasi.

Inside the House, Jha raised a point of order after Yadav concluded his speech and said, Parliament had passed the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991 that prohibits conversion of any place of worship and provides for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947, to "protect the idea" of cordiality and harmony.

"Now, my learned friend has opened Pandora's box. The nation has suffered in the name of religious conflict," Jha said even as Deputy Chairman Harivansh disallowed his point of order and noted that the Zero Hour submissions were cleared by the Chairman.

Raising the issue, Yadav said that the Act was "unconstitutional" and pointed out that the Act makes an exception to the legal case around the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya while all legal disputes in courts over any other religious places are considered closed.

He alleged that the law gives "legal sanctity" to the "forceful occupation of the Krishna Janmabhoomi and other religious places by foreign invaders". He also claimed that the 1991 Act "discriminates" between Lord Ram and Lord Krishna as both are 'avatars' of Lord Vishnu.

He said the law not only violates the Constitutional provision of the right of equality but also secularism. "It is strange that this law provides that no citizen can go against it to the courts. Nor can this law be challenged," he said.

This law is "not just unconstitutional but also cruelty against religious sentiments of Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists. I demand this law be repealed immediately", he added.

Check out DH's latest videos: