He added: “I condemn the frivolous petition to survey Ajmer Sharif. When (RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat himself said in 2022 that there is no need to look for a shivling in every mosque, why has such a petition even been made? Even Prime Minister Modi has offered a chadar at the Sufi shrine. I offered a chadar on behalf of Prime Minister Modi in 2023 and 2024.”
The latest controversy erupted after the local court in Ajmer issued a notice seeking the response of the dargah committee, the Union government and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) following the petition’s claim that the dargah was built over a Shiva temple. The petition was filed by Hindu Sena president Vishnu Gupta.
The notice came amid fears of escalating communal tensions after violence erupted in the city of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, leaving several people dead, following a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid after claims that a Harihar temple previously stood at the site.
Following the claims in Ajmer and Sambhal, opposition parties have called for the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991—which mandates that the status quo of religious sites be maintained as it was at the time of Independence—to be followed.
“The BJP came to power with the help of RSS. Why don’t they listen to the RSS? A law was made in 1991 to maintain the status quo of religious places before 1947, but you are not following that either. You make the laws and you break them too,” said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Uncomfortable position
The BJP’s Minority Morcha—which has been working to win the confidence of the Muslim community and most recently organised a Sufi Sambad outreach programme in Lok Sabha constituencies with a significant Muslim population—isn’t alone.
Other Muslim leaders in the party also find themselves in an uncomfortable position after the Hindu Sena’s petition over Ajmer.
One of the BJP’s prominent Muslim leaders, party spokesperson Shazia Ilmi, voiced her discomfort in an op-ed published in The Indian Express.
Condemning the move to seek a survey of Ajmer Sharif to find a shivling, Ilmi wrote, “I wish Gupta (the petitioner) had paid heed to the words of Mohan Bhagwat, who clearly said there is no need to find a shivling in every mosque and start a new dispute every day.”
She underscored the historical importance of the shrine, saying Emperor Akbar had visited it 17 times and it was the birthplace of his grandson, Dara Shikoh, who famously translated the Upanishads into Persian.
“The holy shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti is venerated as much as by the Hindus and Muslims. More than 75 percent of hotels and shops in the Dargah market are owned by Hindus. From Jawaharlal Nehru to Prime Minister Modi, all prime ministers have sent their chadar on the occasion of the Urs,” Ilmi wrote.
She added: “After the dispute of Babri Masjid, Gyanvapi and Sambhal, this is the newest strain on the fabric of peaceful coexistence of the two communities. However, while the other disputed sites are masjids, this one is a renowned Sufi shrine.”
Former Union minister of minority sffairs and key BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who has offered a chadar at Ajmer Sharif on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also expressed strong concerns over the petition seeking a survey of Ajmer Sharif.
“There is a conspiracy to ignite the flames through Sambhal or Ajmer and disrupt the communal harmony of society,” Naqvi told the media.
Also read: Sambhal is the result of Supreme Court opening a backdoor with flawed Gyanvapi order
Building trust
Analysts said the controversy could hurt the BJP’s efforts to build trust with the Sufi community.
“The BJP has often benefited from controversies and polarisation during elections to offset the impact of caste fault lines. However, the claim over the shrine could undermine the party’s efforts to build trust within the Sufi constituency,” Shashi Kant Pandey, a political science professor at Lucknow’s Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, told ThePrint.
When Prime Minister Modi addressed the World Sufi Forum in 2016, he highlighted the essence of Sufism as a message of peace, coexistence and compassion.
“In the words of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, of all the worships, the worship that pleases the almighty God the most is the grant of relief to the humble and the oppressed,” Modi said.
He added:“Sufism is the voice of peace, co-existence, compassion and equality; a call to universal brotherhood. And, just as India became a principal centre of Islamic civilisation, our nation also emerged as one of the most vibrant hubs of Sufism.”
The government is also promoting Sufi heritage with plans to build a Sufi corridor connecting to other shrines in the country.
In August, Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju praised India’s Sufi legacy, calling it “a testament to our centuries-old tradition of unity in diversity.”
The government has also actively promoted Sufi heritage, with plans for a “Sufi Corridor” connecting Ajmer to other major shrines across India.
The Ajmer Dargah has emerged as one of the most important Sufi shrines in India over the centuries. People from all communities throng Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti’s shrine every year for the Urs festival, which marks the Sufi saint’s death anniversary.
‘Could write about any masjid & courts would have to listen’
Some BJP leaders have expressed concern over the growing tendency to stoke disputes around religious sites, cautioning that such moves could hurt the government’s governance agenda and disrupt communal harmony.
Kunwar Basit Ali, the head of the BJP’s Minority Morcha in Uttar Pradesh, also referred to Bhagwat’s 2022 remark that there is “no need to find shivlings in every mosque”.
‘“It looks like there is a conspiracy going on to fan the flames continuously to create discord in society. It applies to Ajmer and Sambhal too,” Ali said.
Another BJP leader said, “If such an ecosystem is promoted, anyone could write a book about any masjid, and the courts will be forced to listen to their petitions.”
“There are several thousand masjids or mandirs that were destroyed during different regimes. The government will have to create another ministry to verify such claims and counterclaims,” the leader added.
Former leader of the Opposition in Rajasthan, Rajendra Rathore, dismissed the issue as a “storm in a teacup”.
“Admission has not even taken place yet, and this matter is like a storm in a teacup. Whatever decision the court takes, everyone should accept it. According to the Indian Constitution, every Indian has the right to present a claim in court,” he told the media in Jaipur.
Hameed Khan Mewati, the Rajasthan BJP Minority Morcha’s head, said allowing the survey petition was an “attack on worshippers’ faith” as Ajmer Sharif draws worshippers from across communities and every prime minister—including Narendra Modi—has sent a chadar to the shrine to seek blessings.
“The silence on Ajmer can hurt the Hindu vote bank even as many worship the Sufi shrine and consider it a sacred place,” added another leader.
But most BJP leaders justify the claims over historically disputed sites.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya tweeted on Monday, “In 1947, the Congress partitioned India on religious lines and created Pakistan and Bangladesh, for Muslims. Not satisfied, they enacted the draconian Waqf Act in 1954, which allowed Muslims to claim any property as their own, and create mini Pakistan within India.”
“But the same Congress legislated the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which put embargo on Hindus from claiming even their legitimate places of worship. This is the kind of regressive appeasement politics the Congress unleashed on Bharat,” he added.
Nehruvian secularism.
In 1947, the Congress partitioned India on religious lines and created Pakistan and Bangladesh, for Muslims. Not satisfied, they enacted the draconian Waqf Act in 1954, which allowed Muslims to claim any property as their own, and create mini Pakistan… pic.twitter.com/QliXRK1aAH
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 2, 2024
Although he maintained silence on Ajmer, he tweeted that the place where the Jama Masjid is situated in Sambhal was once a Harihar temple.
“During the reign of Emperor Prithviraj Chauhan, Harihar temple was built here, which was later demolished to build Jama Masjid. This claim is also confirmed by some maps and many government documents,” Malviya said.
“ Many ancient relics associated with the temple still exist, including the idol of Lord Vishnu and his chakra-like figures, statues from the Shunga period and the idol of the Nagamukhi Mother Goddess from the Mauryan period. The mythological name of Sambhal was Sambhalpur,” he added.
संभल में जिस स्थान पर जामा मस्जिद स्थित है, वह कभी हरिहर मंदिर था।
सम्राट पृथ्वीराज चौहान के शासनकाल में यहां हरिहर मंदिर बनवाया गया था, जिसे बाद में तोड़कर जामा मस्जिद का निर्माण हुआ। इस दावे की पुष्टि कुछ नक्शों और कई सरकारी दस्तावेजों से भी होती है।
मंदिर से जुड़े कई प्राचीन… pic.twitter.com/xLyLoj0eY1
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 1, 2024
While some BJP leaders acknowledged that religious polarisation had helped the party in elections, they also added that such controversies are often aimed at creating publicity.
“The BJP got a major vote from the Hindu majority community and religious polarisation has helped the party one after another in elections. The recent Maharastra election win was due to the polarisation of the Hindu community,” said a senior party leader.
“But while such incidents help the party, sometimes the ecosystem exploits the situation,” the leader added.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also read: Sambhal mosque row: Is fixing historical injustices becoming a constant source of conflict?