A hasty survey of an old mosque, a protest that resulted in the death of five people, the subsequent discovery of several “closed” temples, and an intense anti-power theft campaign around the disputed mosque, which informed the locals among others. The Samajwadi Party MP – Sambhal, a town in western Uttar Pradesh, has not been out of the news for the past one month.
All this, in turn, has focused the ruling BJP’s attention on the city where Lord Vishnu’s 10th and final avatar Kalki is believed to appear.
Western UP has long been out of the BJP’s reach, and the party is keen to change that, reflected in its alliance with the RLD that helped it capture the SP stronghold of Kundarki on the edge of Sambhal. Recent by-elections.
As part of this push, Sambhal is set to include Ayodhya, Mathura and Kashi (Varanasi) as pre-eminent religious sites in UP for the party, BJP sources said.
On February 19 this year, a month after inaugurating the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of a grand temple for Kalki in Sambhal. Like Kalki, Rama is also considered an avatar of Vishnu.
In his speech at the ceremony, Modi said: “When Lord Rama reigned, its influence was felt for thousands of years. Like Lord Rama, Kalki will also have its influence for a thousand years. He said the ceremony was completed after 18 years of waiting.
In the recent winter session of the UP Assembly, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath defended the November survey of an ancient mosque in Sambhal that had sparked violence, Babarnama said, referring to a temple at the site. He also invoked the city’s Kalki “connection”, saying that according to the Puranas, Vishnu’s tenth incarnation would be born in Sambhal.
Acharya Pramod Krishnam, chairman of Sri Kalki Dham Nirman Trust, who attended the foundation-laying ceremony of the temple along with Modi, told The Indian Express: “Ever since Modi came to Kalki Dham, he has been performing miracles. New discoveries were made. It seems that God’s incarnation will happen soon (Since Modi came to Kalkidham, Sambhal is witnessing miracle after miracle. New discoveries are happening. God seems to be reborn here soon).
Echoing Adityanath’s statement in the Assembly, Krishnam said Babur had “destroyed” three temples – “one in Ayodhya, which has been rebuilt; another in Panipat; and a third in Sambhal, which was for a future incarnation of Sri Hari Vishnu.”
It was Sambhal’s turn to get its rights, Krishnam said, adding that work on the Kalki temple would begin after Makar Sankranti, i.e. January 14, 2025. A former Congress leader, Krishnam was expelled by the party for his open connections. BJP over the temple.
Krishnam’s comments about “new things being discovered in Sambhal” were a reference to everything that has happened since the survey of the Babar-era Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal began last month, the day a petition was filed in court that the temple. Use located on the site. The survey has been stopped for the time being after the Supreme Court gave an interim order until January 6.
Apart from the ancient idols, another ancient, disused temple has been “discovered” in the minority-dominated area of Sambhal.
The Archaeological Survey of India recently discovered the remains of a tunnel at Sambhal, which may have been used during the British rebellion in 1857.
Apart from religious significance, Sambhal and its adjoining areas also hold political significance for the BJP, which has not made political inroads in the region, with the exception of Satyapal Singh Saini’s 2014 victory from the Sanbhal Lok Sabha seat.
This constituency has previously voted for Samajwadi Party or BSP twice (1998, 1999) for SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and once in 2004 for Mulayam’s brother and SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav. While veteran SP leader Shafiqur Rehman Barak was victorious. In 2019, his grandson Zia ur Rehman Barak was elected to the Lok Sabha seat this year.
Zia ur Rehman is incidentally among those booked for last month’s violence at the Sambhal mosque, and was recently fined Rs 1.9 crore for alleged electricity theft and warned of asset attachment if he did not pay within a fortnight.
Even at the assembly level, the BJP has not been able to influence Sambhal. In the 2022 assembly elections, out of the five assembly constituencies falling under the Sambhal Lok Sabha seat, four were won by the SP. BJP’s Gulab Devi won the fifth segment, Chandausi (SC-reserved seat).
Adityanath made her a minister, indicating the importance of Gulab Devi’s victory for the party.
The BJP has gained new momentum after the recent by-elections for nine assembly seats in UP, where the party won impressive victories, especially in the Muslim-majority constituency of Kundarki. Kundarki is located near Sambhal, and the by-election was held a day after the mosque violence in Sambhal.
A BJP leader said that if their campaign works, the party’s gains will not be limited to Sambhal. “Associating Sambhal with an important religious site believed to be the birthplace of 10thAnd the final incarnation of Lord Vishnu will also influence the neighboring areas in the 2027 assembly elections,” the leader said.
Former SP Sambhal district president Feroze Khan, who is now the party’s state committee member, said the BJP’s plan would not succeed. “Despite their best efforts, they failed to make a mark in the Sambhal Lok Sabha constituency, which the SP won by a good margin. Kundarki’s victory made the BJP think that it might change the minds of the people of Sambhal. But that is not going to happen… Here people see through their plan. can
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