Shortly after a Varanasi court granted permission for Hindu prayers to be conducted in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque, Siddiqullah Chowdhury, a leader from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), issued a warning to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Chowdhury stated that if Adityanath were to visit Bengal, they would surround him.
Furthermore, he urged Hindu worshippers to immediately vacate the Gyanvapi mosque. Chowdhury made these remarks while attending a rally organized by Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind in Kolkata, where they were demanding a ban on the ‘puja’ in the mosque. Additionally, Chowdhury questioned the Chief Minister’s judgment in allowing such actions and stated that if Adityanath were to remain in Bengal, he would not be permitted to leave.
The TMC leader expressed his concern about Hindu worshippers forcefully starting their worship at the Gyanvapi mosque and demanded its immediate evacuation. He also emphasized that they do not visit any temples for prayer and questioned why people are coming to their mosques. He firmly stated that if anyone tries to convert the mosque into a temple, they will not remain silent and allow it to happen.
He raised doubts about the possibility of demolishing the Gyanvapi mosque, which has stood for over 800 years. In response to Chowdhury’s remarks, Union Minister Giriraj Singh criticized the TMC and accused them of favoring a specific community under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. He mentioned the red carpet treatment given to the Rohingya and highlighted that Yogi Adityanath, a Sanatani son, should not be threatened by a minister from the Mamata Banerjee-led government. He further stated that they lack the courage to prevent Yogi from visiting Bengal.
Chowdhury issued a cautionary statement two days subsequent to the Varanasi district court’s decision to schedule the hearing for the Gyanvapi Masjid committee’s plea against the ruling made by the same court on January 31. The ruling stated that a priest is permitted to conduct prayers in front of the idols located in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque.
As per the petition, priest Somnath Vyas used to perform prayers in that area until 1993 when it was closed off by the authorities.
Shailendra Kumar Pathak, who is the maternal grandson of Somnath Vyas, had requested the right to worship the deities in that particular location.