NEW DELHI: Several Muslim organisations, including the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in Ram Mandir ‘shilanayas’ ceremony on Wednesday was a violation of the Constitution of India.
Questioning Modi’s participation in the event, they called it a violation of India’s secular ethos. The way the event was organised and telecast from the site will deepen the polarisation between communities, said senior Muslim leaders.
The resources of the government were being utilised with impunity, said the organisations. It called the Supreme Court verdict on Babri Masjid as a ‘festering wound’ for the community and the nation. The leadership appealed to the Muslim community to remain patient and wise as it has been in the past.
“The Babri masjid was a masjid and will always remain a masjid - is our present position and shall remain so in the future too,” the statement said.
“We have been appealing to the conscience of the people in the past and shall continue to do so... We hope that the people with conscience in our country shall not condone this tendency of violating the secular ethos of our nation,” it added.
The organisations said that it was unfortunate that despite the Supreme Court giving evidence in favour of the mosque, ruled in favour of the temple. However, Muslims have respected the verdict, said the Muslim leaders.
Representatives from Muslim Ittehad Parishad, All India Muslim Majlis Mushawarat, All India Milli Council, All India Shia Council, Jamiat Ulema Hind, Delhi, and Zafarul Islam Khan, a former chairperson at Delhi Minorities Commission, among others signed the statement.