Hindus denied nod to pray at Vidisha's Bijamandal; collector cites ASI's 'mosque' notification
Vidisha, Aug 8: The Vidisha district administration in Madhya Pradesh has cited an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) notification and refused to open the 11th century Bijamandal to allow Hindus to offer prayers on Nagpanchmi, which will be celebrated on Friday.
A group of Hindus had submitted a memorandum to Collector Buddhesh Kumar Vaidya to open the site in the heart of the city on Nagpanchami, when snakes are worshipped.
In turn, the collector forwarded their plea to ASI, which, on August 2, cited a gazette notification of 1951 and stated Bijamandal was not a temple but a mosque.
Collector Vaidya told PTI the ASI is the custodian of the structure so he had forwarded the memorandum to allow it to take a call on the matter.
Expressing disappointment, Shubham Verma, leader of the Hindu group that submitted the memorandum, told PTI, "We have been worshipping there (outside the structure) on Nagpanchami for the last 30 years but no one had said it was a mosque and not a temple."
The sentiments of Hindus have been hurt with the ASI's description of it as a mosque, said Verma showing the collector's letter along with the ASI's gazette notification.
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TN polls: TVK pushes DMK behind with leads in 83 seats, AIADMK ahead in 54
Chennai (PTI): New entrant TVK, led by actor-politician Vijay, was leading in as many as 83 constituencies on Monday when counting of votes polled in the April 23 Assembly polls was on across Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK was leading in 58 seats while the ruling DMK was ahead in 34, EC data showed.
About two hours after the postal ballots were counted and EVMs opened for multi-round counting, Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam surged ahead of its Dravidian rivals-- the DMK and the AIADMK, with the ruling party struggling to catch up.
If the trends maintain, Vijay could as well ensure the biggest electoral upset, something in lines with the "1967,1977" wins he had referred to in his campaign speeches.
While the Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai brought the first non-Congress government in Tamil Nadu post-independence in 1967, the charismatic MG Ramachandran (MGR) installed the maiden AIADMK government 10 years later, unseating then DMK government under M Karunanidhi. TVK was leading in most Chennai segments, all considered DMK strongholds and currently represented by the party in the 234-member House.
A poor show by DMK could belie most exit polls giving an edge to it, riding on the number of populist measures Chief Minister M K Stalin had implemented in his five year "Dravidian model," inclusive governance.
According to EC and TV reports, 15 cabinet ministers, including Stalin were trailing. His son and deputy CM Udhayanidhi was also behind in his incumbent Chepauk-Tirvuvallikeni seat, according to a number of reports.
Stalin was trailing behind TVK's VS Babu by 1234 votes in Kolathur segment. Vijay was ahead in Tiruchirappalli East by over 3,000 votes at the end of two rounds of counting, according to EC data.
BJP is trailing in 26 constituencies and it is ahead in Thali segment alone. TVK is ahead in constituencies including Ponneri, Tiruvallur, Poonamalle, and Avadi.
AIADMK is leading in segments including Katpadi, and Guidyattam and party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami is ahead in Edappadi segment by 7003 votes.
DMK was leading in segments including Vellore, Anaikattu and Rishivandiyam.
