Mosque surveys: Kharge reminds BJP of RSS chief’s statement about temples

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge today reminded the Bharatiya Janata Party of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement that attempts to find a temple under every mosque should be stopped.

Addressing the ‘Maha Rally’, organized by the Dalit, OBC, Minorities, and Adivasi Parisangh, to defend the Constitution here today, Kharge strongly opposed attempts to get surveys done in so many mosques to find out whether a temple existed beneath these places.

Taunting the BJP, Kharge said they might start digging under the Red Fort, Taj Mahal, and Qutub Minar too. He asked the BJP why it was not listening to Bhagwat. He said it was because of the RSS help that the BJP came to power. He wondered whether Bhagwat was saying one thing publicly and privately telling the BJP to do what it was doing. He referred to the 1991 Places of Worship Act, which had been enacted to maintain the status quo of religious places as they existed in 1947.

Pointing out the contradiction in BJP's political rhetoric, Kharge said, “You talk about unity, but your actions betray this. Your leader, Mohan Bhagwat, has said that now that the Ram Mandir has been built, there’s no need to search for more places of worship. These are not my words; they are his. If you respect his words, then why create further discord?”

Kharge reiterated his commitment to secularism, stating that secularism is not a rejection of Hinduism but an affirmation of India's commitment to equal respect for all faiths. "I am a Hindu by birth, but my commitment to secularism means I seek unity and peace for all, regardless of religion or background," he said, referring to his name, Mallikarjun, which symbolizes a sacred lingam in Hindu tradition. "Being secular does not make me any less of a Hindu. It simply means I believe in equal rights for all."

Kharge warned that this type of politics would harm the country and the Congress would not let any such thing happen; it would fight against it with all its might. He also said that the Congress and other opposition parties were opposed to the Waqf Bill and would continue to oppose it at all costs.

Underlining the need to protect the Constitution, Kharge said everything the poor, Dalits, OBCs, and minorities had received was because of the Constitution. He said the BJP was opposed to it, and its leaders had even been calling for changing the Constitution. He alleged that the BJP does not believe in the Constitution. He pointed out that the BJP does not only steal votes through the misuse of Electronic Voting Machines, but also steals MLAs and entire governments, as happened in the past in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh.

The Congress president reiterated his party’s commitment to the caste census and removing the 50 percent bar on reservations in the country. He pointed out that wherever there was a Congress government in the country, the caste census had been started, quoting the examples of Karnataka and Telangana. He said the BJP was not allowing the caste census to be done in the states it was ruling. He criticized the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for opposing the caste census and saying that Congress was trying to divide people. He said the Congress unites people, and it is the BJP that divides people with slogans like ‘Batenge, toh Katenge’.