A maulana has alleged a government takeover of 55 bighas of waqf land for the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, which begins next week, threatening a controversy that some believe has been engineered by the BJP to polarise communities.
So far, neither the Yogi Adityanath government nor the Sunni Central Waqf Board has commented on the claim, aired cursorily on Sunday evening and elaborately on Monday by the Bahraich-based cleric, Maulana Shahabudd in Razvi Bareilvi.
Razvi has clarified that Muslims, out of their “large-heartedness”, will “not make an issue” of the alleged land-grab. He has, however, asked sadhus to reciprocate by withdrawing their demand to ban Muslims from the Kumbh — a never-before campaign that too reeks of efforts to use the holy event to surcharge the communal atmosphere.
“Some 55 bighas along the Ganga’s banks belong to the waqf board, which had given out this land for use by poor Muslims (to earn their livelihood),” Razvi, president of the All India Muslim Jamat, a socio-religion organisation, told reporters in Bahraichon Monday.
The cleric’s claim seems to turn upon its head the Hindutva groups’ template of accusing past Muslim rulers of demolishing temples to build mosques over them.
A Congress Rajya Sabha member and Allahabad resident, Pramod Tiwari, however, alleged that Razvi was a “BJP agent” trying to divide Hindus and Muslims for the ruling party’s benefit.
"The Kumbh has been held there for centuries; nobody made such a claim before. Suddenly, a cleric comes forward and claims that 55 bighas of Mela land belong to the waqf board," Pramod Tiwari said.
Razvi told reporters that an Allahabad resident, Mohammad Sartaz, had told him he had the documents to prove that these 55 bighas were registered in the waqf board's name.
"But they (poor Muslims using the land) happily gave it to the administration for use in setting up the Mela. It shows how tolerant and large-hearted Muslims are," he said.
"In contrast, some sadhus have asked the state government to ban Muslims from the Mela area and prevent Muslim vendors from selling anything along the Sangam."
He added: "We don’t want to make an issue of it during the Kumbh, but the sadhus who are spitting venom must keep their mouth shut."
Razvi had a word of advice for Muslims: "However, I appeal to Muslims not to go anywhere near the Mela area because some people might blame them if anything goes wrong there."
The All India Akhara Parishad, an umbrella organisation of sadhus, did not directly rebut Razvi’s claim but said all the land along the river belonged to "Mother Ganga".
"We have asked the state government to form a Sanatan Board; we’ll then take all the waqf land from the waqf board," Akhara Parishad president Ravindra Puri threatened.
Puri and some other sadhus have demanded a ban on Muslims at the Kumbh Mela, to be held from January 14 to February 26.
Sitaram Das, a sadhu camping in the Mela area, dismissed Razvi's claim and sought his arrest.
State BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla said Razvi was "mentally unsound".