Prominent Muslim and Hindu clerics have appealed for reason and calm among their followers, even as the majoritarian and mob dominated politics of Hindutva continues on its self-destructive path to divide and rule.
Maulana Batin the Shehr Mufti of Banaras has issued a strong appeal fr calm while also making available a helpine phone number to ensure that rumours are dispelled. Bascally he has told his followers not to let emotion govern their actions. Similarly the prominent Shankracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati has clearly deleneated the religious and secular by stating that no government or state should concern itself with building a Mosque or Temple or Gurudwara as these are religious acts that should be left to the communities concerned.
Maulana Batin’s statement can be read here:
Swami Swaroopanand’s statement can be read bwlow. he has made a strong argument for separating religious business and the state arguing that the building of temples, mosques gurudwaras and churches was not the business of the state. He has also cautioned stating that the failures of the central government on the socio-economic front is the reason the ‘Ram Manditr’ issue has been raised, so suddenly. Significantly the polls in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are also round the corner: in both states the ruling BJP is facing anti-incumbency of a strong kind.
