All-party meet over Sanjauli mosque dispute ends, policy for street vendors on the cards
While CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu termed the protests against the Sanjauli mosque in Shimla as a ‘local dispute’, BJP MLA Randhir Sharma said the structure should be sealed if it was illegal.
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Shops closed in a market area in view of the 'bandh' called by traders to protest the police action during an agitation demanding the demolition of an illegal structure in a mosque on Wednesday, at Sanjauli locality in Shimla. (PTI Photo)Amidst growing communal tension in Himachal Pradesh following protests against mosques in Shimla and Mandi over the construction of illegal structures, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu convened an all-party meeting at his office on Friday.
“During the meeting, it was decided that a joint committee of leaders would be formed under the Vidhan Sabha Speaker to formulate a policy for street vendors in Himachal Pradesh,” a joint statement issued after the meeting said.
It was an altercation between a local and a barber, an ‘outsider’ settled in Shimla, in August that escalated into protests against the Sanjauli mosque. Soon, leaders cutting across party lines spoke about the need to defend the rights of locals and called for a strict vendor policy to control the influx of people from other states.
On Friday, differences between the leaders emerged once the meeting ended. While CM Sukhu termed the protests against a four-storey mosque in Sanjauli in Shimla as a “local dispute”, BJP MLA Randhir Sharma demanded that the entire structure should be sealed if it was illegal.
“The recent incident in Sanjauli is a local dispute, not a religious matter. The issue concerns an illegal structure. This incident was not a religious issue but a local dispute. The root cause of this dispute is unregistered vendors who often cause problems for locals. Himachal Pradesh is a peaceful state, and we welcome both domestic and international tourists,” CM Sukhu said after the meeting.
Sharma, who represented the BJP in the meeting, said, “We demand the sealing of the entire structure until the final verdict is delivered by the municipal commissioner’s court in Shimla where the matter is listed for October 5. There is anger among the people regarding the mosque, which was constructed illegally. We agree with forming a joint committee for the registration of vendors from other states. The issue at hand concerns the illegal structure.”
Sharma also referred to Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh accusing the BJP on Thursday of giving Rs 2 lakh for the construction of the mosque in Sanjauli when the saffron party was in power.
“On one hand, CM Sukhu has called for an all-party meeting, and on the other, ministers in his government are accusing the BJP of providing funds for the construction of the mosque. I raised this point during the meeting, and the CM urged me to move forward. However, I want to clarify that no political party provides money for religious activities, only for facilitating public services. If the BJP gave money to the Muslim community, it is because the BJP is not anti-Muslim,” Sharma said.
Asked about the Muslim welfare committee’s decision to demolish the illegal structure voluntarily, Sharma responded, “Why are they only talking about demolishing three stories? If the mosque is illegal and stands on government land, it should be demolished entirely, not partially.”
Other leaders present at the all-party meeting included state Congress president Pratibha Singh, state Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) president Surjit Singh Thakur, CPI(M) leader Rakesh Singha, Congress MLA from Shimla (Urban) Harish Janarth, and others.
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