Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Wednesday stirred the political cauldron saying the party is preparing to build a temple in Mathura, as construction of temples in Ayodhya and Kashi is underway.
“The construction of grand temples is on in Ayodhya and Kashi, and preparations are on for one in Mathura (Ayodhya Kashi bhavya mandir nirmaan jaari hai Mathura kee tyaari hai),” Maurya said in a tweet he posted in Hindi.
Mathura is considered to be the birthplace of Lord Shri Krishna.
The senior BJP leader is likely to have made the comment ahead of the UP Assembly election to rally the BJP support base in state.
The supposed temple site, which is a subject of multiple lawsuits, is located inside an Aurangzeb-era mosque in Mathura and shares its premises with a prominent temple.
The Mathura district administration on November 28 imposed prohibitory orders under CrPC section 144 following an announcement by the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha to install a Lord Krishna idol at the deity’s “actual birthplace”, which it claims is inside the mosque.
“Nobody will be allowed to disturb the peace and tranquility in Mathura,” District Magistrate Navneet Singh Chahal has said.
Section 144 of the CrPC prohibits assembly of four or more people in an area.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the comment shows BJP is sensing defeat.
“This (Maurya’s tweet) indicates that the BJP has sensed a sure defeat in the upcoming UP Assembly elections,” he said to a news channel.