‘Modi and all other PMs have offered chadar’: Asaduddin Owaisi blames RSS, BJP for Ajmer Dargah row

New Delhi: All Indian prime ministers, including Narendra Modi, have offered ‘chadar’ at Ajmer Sharif Dargah and the controversy over the claim that the Sufi shrine was a temple was directly or indirectly linked to the BJP and the RSS, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said on Thursday. A court on Wednesday admitted a petition seeking to declare the Mughal-era shrine a Shiva temple. Several opposition leaders raised serious concerns over the controversy on the Ajmer Dargah, which comes close on the heels of similar claims made regarding a mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal.

“The Dargah Sharif has been there for 800 years. Every prime minister of the country sends ‘chadar’ for the dargah during ‘Urs’. Official delegations from neighbouring countries come there, Indian diaspora from all over the world visit the dargah… Now suddenly you are raising this issue…” Owaisi told reporters outside Parliament.

“Where will all this stop? What will happen to the Places of Worship Act, 1991?”

The Places of Worship Act 1991 states that the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947, must be maintained. Owaisi continued, “What would Narendra Modi say? The dargah where he offered ‘chadar’ is not a dargah? What would ASI say?”

“This is being done to destabilise the country… I am saying repeatedly that these things are not in favour of the country. These people are related directly or indirectly with BJP, RSS… no one can deny this,” he said.

The Ajmer court issued notices to the Ajmer Dargah Committee, the Ministry of Minority Affairs and the Archaeological Survey of India on the plea seeking to declare the shrine a temple. The suit was filed in Ajmer in September.

The court’s notice came just days after four people were killed in violence following a court ordering a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, which petitioners said was built after destroying an old temple. Samajwadi Party’s Rampur MP Mohibbullah Nadvi said the petition on Ajmer Dargah was “painful”. “Some people have lost their cool after the 2024 (Lok Sabha) election results as they didn’t get the majority. These people want to target a particular community to please the majority. This is their misbelief,” he told reporters outside Parliament. Saharanpur MP Imran Masood said an atmosphere of hatred has been created in the country. “They did it in Sambhal yesterday. Now they did it in Ajmer. What is this drama?” he said. “BJP and the government should think, this country cannot be run by hatred, you cannot sideline 25 crore people. How would the country develop without their contribution? We are very clear, your party may become stronger by creating hatred, but it is not good for the country,” the Congress leader said addressing reporters outside Parliament. He also targeted the Uttar Pradesh government over the Sambhal violence. “Do Muslim lives not matter? They will shoot us in the head? Stone pelting is wrong but they could have shot at the leg, why did they shoot people in the head and chest?” he said. Police have denied opening fire at the protesters in Sambhal, saying “rioters” carried out shootings and stone pelting. A magisterial probe into the violence is ongoing. Samajwadi Party’s Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav reiterated her party’s demand for a discussion on the Sambhal issue in Parliament. “Our main issue is that we want a discussion on Sambhal in Lok Sabha. Speaker sir has assured that there will be a discussion. Police personnel are harassing, manipulating people in Uttar Pradesh. The police administration is working like this in the entire state,” she said. Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) MP from Nagina in Uttar Pradesh, Chandra Shekhar said these incidents create a trust deficit in the country. “What if a Buddhist says there is a Buddhist temple under Hindu temples and demands a probe? Those who are encouraging this should also answer what would be the outcome… Employment, price rise, health, education, farmers, women… these are the issues, should we talk about these issues or religious places?” he said. “What is this drama, Kashi, Mathura, Sambhal, Ajmer, what more do we have to witness? Where is the prime minister? He and the Supreme Court should take cognisance. This is being done to distract attention from real issues, but the trust deficit it is creating is dangerous,” he said.