Mosque in Hindu holy land at centre of dispute as India votes

Sohan Lal Arya is in the fight of his life. The 72 year old is one of dozens of activists in the Indian city of Varanasi who want to turn its oldest mosque into a Hindu temple. Arya has been petitioning the courts to do it for four decades. This temple is very important for the Hindu religion especially because for thousands of years it has been the place of our Lord of Lords, our beloved Lord Shiva. The battle over Gianvapi Mosque is symbolic of the tension between Hindus and Muslims in India. As the country holds the world’s biggest election, nearly a billion people will be eligible to vote. Opinion polls predict an easy win for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist BJP party, which would hand him a rare third straight term. Muslim advocates accuse his party of discrimination and imposing laws that interfere with their faith. Modi denies it. But there has been sporadic violence between both sides. About 14% of the population is Muslim. The Varanasi site is not the only contested ground. In January, Modi opened a temple to the Hindu Lord Ram in a Yodia. It was built on the site of a 16th century mosque that was destroyed by a Hindu mob in 1992, claiming it was the birth place of the God king. Arya was there. He remembers it fondly and even has a brick from the mosque. Nationwide riots over the dispute left 2000 people dead, mostly Muslims. As for Gianrapi, in late January, a court ruled that Hindu priests can pray on part of it. The mosque is just next door to Varanasi, the largest and holiest Hindu temple. But that’s not enough for Arya. He says he has no ill will towards Muslims. But he wants the mosque raised and is hoping another win for Modi could bolster his case. Absolutely. We are fully hopeful that the forthcoming government will take care of the sentiments of all Hindus, will be sensitive to the feelings of all followers of the Hindu faith across the world and we’ll build a magnificent temple. 78 year old Saeed Mohammed Yasin is determined to make sure that does not happen. Like Arya, he’s also fighting, but on the other side to prevent the mosques demolition. Yasin has the stacks of court files to prove it. What happened then was really bad. Everything was wrong. There were riots in so many places. But what they are doing now, they are coming through court. India’s general election is being held from April to June in seven stages. Yasin says a Modi win could complicate things, but he’s determined to fight until the bitter end. So far we are going by the law. Let us see how this goes further on. We have our backs to the wall. You know what happens when you’re pushed up against the wall? Either you die or you stand up. Results in the vote are expected on June 4th.