Foundation of secularism being shaken in India: Mehbooba Mufti

Mehbooba Mufti. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti has blamed former Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud for his ”bad decision”, which she claimed has led to searches in mosques and could push the country towards division as the foundation of secularism is being shaken.

The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said these actions are being carried out to divert public attention from issues such as development and jobs to divisive topics.

“I want to say that one of our former Chief Justices of India has done a very bad thing for this country by giving a decision regarding the Gyanvapi Mosque that allows action to be taken wherever a complaint is raised,” Ms. Mufti told reporters in Jammu.

“This will lead the country toward division. It is dragging us toward bloodshed, as we saw in some incidents in Uttar Pradesh, where four or five innocent people were caught in the chaos,” she said.

A sense of disquiet in Varanasi

Referring to a previous Supreme Court decision to maintain the status quo of all religious places, Ms. Mufti said, “This is despite the 1991 Supreme Court judgment, which clearly stated that the status of all religious places as they existed in 1947 — be it temples or mosques — must not be altered. Unfortunately, the former Chief Justice passed a judgment that has led to a situation where Shivlings are being searched for in every mosques. This interference has even extended to sacred Muslim sites such as Ajmer Sharif, which holds significance for Hindus as well,” she added.

The PDP chief said that more Hindus visit Ajmer Sharif to pray and seek blessings than the Muslims. “This shrine is more than 800 years old. If this trend continues, I fear they might soon start searching Muslim homes,” she said.

Earlier on Wednesday (November 27, 2024), a court in Ajmer issued notices to the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Ajmer Dargah Committee seeking their response to a petition that sought a physical survey of the dargah.

Pointing to the worsening situation over such issues, the former Chief Minister said, “this will lead the country toward division”. “It is dragging us towards bloodshed, as we saw in some incidents in Uttar Pradesh, where four or five innocent people were caught in the chaos,” she added.

Expressing her concerns about the State of the nation, Ms. Mufti said, “If this continues, God forbid, we may return to the conditions of partition in 1947.” Referring to the secular foundations of the country, she added, “Let us not forget that leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi ji, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Sardar Patel built this country on the foundation of secularism. Now, those very foundations are being shaken. Hindus and Muslims are being pitted against each other.” She also criticised the government.

“They have no jobs to offer, no good schools or hospitals and no support for farmers. Instead, by creating Hindu-Muslim conflicts, attention is being diverted from these pressing issues,” she said. The PDP chief concluded by stating that the role of one of the former Chief Justice has been “extremely damaging” in this regard.