The CPI(M) on Saturday expressed grave concern over the Bhojshala verdict and its wider implications for the secular and democratic foundations of the Indian republic.
It said by setting aside the order of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), granting Muslims the right to pray at the complex, the judgment echoes the very same arguments made by the Supreme Court in the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi title suit, and is bound to have a significant bearing on similar such disputes.
In a statement, the Politburo of the party said, the judgement cannot be viewed in isolation from the growing trend in which historical and religious disputes are increasingly being reopened and adjudicated in ways that risk deepening communal divisions.
“The judgment appears to be unwilling to consider the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which was enacted by Parliament to prevent endless communal contestations over religious sites. The Madhya Pradesh High Court verdict is in complete contravention of the provisions of this Act,” it said.
The Left said the move would only help communal forces like the BJP-RSS combine, which have “consistently sought to foreground divisive religious issues while diverting attention from the pressing concerns facing the people”.
It said it is hopeful that the Supreme Court would set aside this judgment.
“The Politburo of CPI(M) urges the judiciary to uphold the secular principles enshrined in the Constitution as communalism in all forms constitutes a grave threat to national unity and democratic life. We call upon all secular and democratic forces to resist attempts to divide people on religious lines and to strengthen struggles around livelihood, social justice, equality, and the rights of all citizens,” CPI(M) leader V Muralidharan said.
The Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar has long been the subject of competing claims, with Hindu and Muslim groups asserting religious rights over the medieval structure. Last year, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered a survey by the Archeological Survey of India to examine the nature and historical features of the site.
On Friday, the high court concluded that the religious character of the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex was that of a temple of Goddess Vagdevi Saraswati.
