Ex-Union minister resigns from Assam corporation post over delimitation of Nagaon LS seat
Guwahati, Aug 18: Senior BJP leader and former union minister Rajen Gohain on Friday resigned as the chairman of Assam Food and Civil Supplies Corporation in protest against the delimitation of the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency and claimed it will be impossible for the party to win from that seat in the future.
Gohain, who had represented the Parliamentary seat four times, claimed that his discussions with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma regarding the delimitation "did not bring any positive outcome".
Nobody should be given absolute power in the party's state unit, he told reporters without naming anybody.
In a letter to the chief minister, Gohain said the recent delimitation process has rendered the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency ''unwinnable for BJP candidates in the future and has also put the people of the constituency under threat due to demographic change''.
''Despite having numerous rounds of discussions with you, I am afraid that my concerns and deep dissatisfaction on the way the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency has been constituted did not bring any change whatsoever,'' his letter to Sarma read.
Gohain claimed that he had also apprised Union Home Minister Amit Shah of his concerns and the Gandhinagar MP asked him to give his recommendations in writing.
"I did (that) the very next day but unfortunately it did not bring any positive outcome.... I feel betrayed and almost disrespected that a senior member like myself was not heard by his own party leaders on a genuine concern for the party's benefit,'' he said in the letter.
Gohain said that it is with great sadness that he has resigned with immediate effect as the Chairman of the Corporation which is a cabinet-rank post.
''I have been a very obedient soldier of the party for over 25 years and also represented the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat for four consecutive terms which is a span of 20 years and I think my experience on this matter should have been counted for and my concerns for the safety and identity of my people should be respected'', he said.
Later talking to reporters, the former minister of state for railways said that the recent delimitation regarding the assembly constituencies was correct and secure for the indigenous population, but the Nagaon parliamentary constituency has been "a gift" to opposition parties.
He said that the Hindu population of the constituency always felt safe and secure with the BJP and voted for the party even when it had no presence in the panchayat, state or the Centre.
''It was after I won the Nagaon parliamentary constituency and as the party's state president that the rise of BJP in the state began but it was the alliance with the AGP in 2014 that led to the downfall of the BJP in this constituency which went to the Congress in the next election'', he said.
Gohain alleged that this situation came to such a pass due to the party leadership in the state and they must be answerable to members.
Without naming any party leader, he said that there must be ''balance in power. Nobody should be given absolute power and when the leader does not listen to party members, it is bound to deteriorate''.
''I shall always remain loyal to the BJP. We had worked very hard to build the party and we do not want it to be destroyed. It must be kept alive for always'', Gohain said.
He also said that there should not be any division among the Hindus but now the divide has started.
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HC says Bhojshala complex is Goddess Saraswati temple, scraps ASI order on namaz on premises
Indore (PTI): In a big win for the Hindu side, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday declared that the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar district is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, and the Centre and ASI can decide on its administration and management.
The HC's Indore bench, which was hearing the case, also said the Muslim community, which called the 11th century monument Kamal Maula Mosque, may approach the state government for allotment of separate land in the district for construction of a mosque.
In its much-awaited verdict in the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex dispute, the court observed that there were indications of a Sanskrit teaching centre and a temple of Goddess Saraswati existing in Bhojshala.
The religious character of the disputed complex of Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque indicates it is a temple of Goddess Saraswati, noted the HC.
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"If the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society applies for land allotment for building a mosque in Dhar district, the state government can consider it," maintained the division bench.
The HC scrapped the 2003 Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) order which allowed Muslims to offer Friday prayers on Bhojshala premises.
Nearly 1,200 police personnel were deployed in and around the complex ahead of the HC ruling.
Dhar Collector Rajeev Ranjan Meena warned of strict action against anyone spreading objectionable content on social media, as the administration erected barricades at the site where Friday prayers coincided with the court verdict.
The long-running dispute pertains to the religious nature of the ASI-protected monument in Dhar district.
The Hindu community considers Bhojshala to be a temple dedicated to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim side calls the monument Kamal Maula Mosque. A petitioner from the Jain community claims the disputed complex is a medieval Jain temple and gurukul.
After the controversy over the Bhojshala complex erupted, the ASI issued an order on April 7, 2003, permitting Hindus to worship at the complex every Tuesday and Muslims to offer namaz there every Friday. The Hindu side challenged the order in the HC, seeking exclusive rights to worship at the complex.
A division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi of the HC's Indore bench began regular hearings on five petitions and one writ appeal related to the case on April 6 this year.
After hearing all the parties against the backdrop of differing religious beliefs, historical claims, complex legal provisions, and thousands of documents related to the disputed monument, the bench had reserved its decision on May 12.
During the hearing, petitioners from the Hindu, Muslim, and Jain communities presented detailed arguments and sought exclusive worship rights for their communities at the monument.
The ASI, after conducting a scientific survey of the monument, indicated in its over 2,000-page report that a massive structure dating back to the reign of the Parmar kings of Dhar predated the mosque, and that the current disputed structure was built using repurposed temple components.
The Hindu side claimed that coins, sculptures, and inscriptions found by the ASI during its scientific survey prove the complex was originally a temple.
However, the Muslim side argued in court that the ASI's survey report was "biased" and prepared to support the claims of the Hindu petitioners.
Refuting this, the ASI told the court the scientific survey process was carried out with the help of experts, including three from the Muslim community.
The HC had ordered the ASI to conduct a scientific survey of the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex on March 11, 2024. The ASI began the survey on March 22 that year and, after a detailed 98-day survey, submitted its report to the High Court on July 15.
