Bihar BJP seeks Nitish apology for entering temple with Muslim minister

Nitish, who was in Gaya on Monday to assess preparations for the upcoming ‘pitripakhsha mela’, which commemorates ancestors, visited Vishnupad temple with Information and Technology Minister Mansoori, RJD legislator from Kanti (Muzaffarpur district).

On Tuesday, Sushil Modi said: “Nitish Kumar has visited Vishnupad temple several times and he knows very well that only those who follow sanatan dharma are allowed inside. There is a clear message outside the temple: ‘entry of non-Hindus is not allowed’. Whom does Nitish Kumar want to please despite knowing the facts?”

Pointing out that the BJP “did not take time in taking action against its spokesperson for making objectionable comments on the Prophet”, he asked, “why has Nitish Kumar not taken any action against Mansoori so far?”

BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur said, “The CM should apologise first; the minister should resign.”

Bihar BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal also demanded a “public apology from the Chief Minister”, according to a PTI report. “Can he (Nitish) think of setting foot inside Mecca? Why must Hindus always adjust their religious sensibilities in the name of tolerance,” Jaiswal was quoted as saying by PTI.

“If the Chief Minister refuses to apologise, he should brace for protests from BJP workers everywhere, including the state Assembly,” Jaiswal said.

BJP’s OBC Morcha national general secretary Nikhil Anand said: “By taking along a non Hindu, his Muslim minister, into the premises of Gaya’s Vishnupad Mandir, Nitish Kumar has hurt the sentiments of common Hindus, who believe in Sanatan Dharma. Nitish Kumar does not believe in Hindu religious texts or follow traditions of Hindu Dharma.”

Mansoori told the media that he is “honoured to go inside the temple”.

The temple management committee, meanwhile, remained guarded in its reaction. Vishnupad Temple management committee’s secretary, Gajadhar Lal Pathak, said, “Although entry of non-Hindus is banned (in the temple), I am not sure how to react to the situation.”

While RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari accused BJP of “making an issue out of nothing”, Bihar Congress spokesperson Kuntal Krishna said, “Can’t BJP take up serious issues such as unemployment and inflation? It takes up issues which only divide the society.”

Grand Alliance partner HAM(S) spokesperson Danish Rizwan said, “People of Bihar will give a befitting reply to BJP, which is spewing venom.”

The JD(U) did not react officially. PTI quoted state minister and senior JD(U) leader Ashok Choudhary as saying, “It is BJP’s mindset that Hindus and Muslims must not go to each other’s places of worship. We visit temples and mazaars with the same spirit.”

When told that entry of non-Hindus is prohibited in Vishnupad temple, Choudhary said, according to PTI, “Mansuri-ji must not have been aware of such a convention. But it is not something over which a fuss should be made.”