The vociferous and divisive cry that accompanied the razing of the Babri Masjid in December 1992 has resumed to echo from Hindutva precincts in the December of 2024: “Abhi toh pehli jhaanki hai, Kashi-Mathura baaki hai! Yeh pehli angraai hai, Aagey aur ladaai hai! (Ayodhya is just a trailer, Kashi and Mathura are there for the taking. This is the first salvo, there are more battles ahead.)”

Sensing that the third tenure of the Modi government could be the most opportune moment for the Hindutva project whose bugle was sounded in the Ram temple movement-era slogan, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Thursday said the temple-mosque disputes across the country could “possibly” have been avoided had the Muslims voluntarily given up their claim on Kashi (Varanasi) and Mathura. The VHP, a unit of the RSS that had spearheaded the Ram temple movement, announced the launch of a drive to free temples from government control.

“A Dharma Sansad held in Delhi in 1984 had demanded that Muslims voluntarily hand over Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura to the Hindus. The court gave Ayodhya to the Hindus but Mathura and Kashi remain,” VHP secretary-general (organisation) Milind Parande said on Thursday, replying to questions on the disputes being raked up over allegations that Mughal-era mosques had been built by razing temples. Multiple appeals have been filed in courts, including over shrines located in Mathura and Varanasi, demanding that the land on which the mosques stand be handed over to Hindus.

“Those who are talking about conflicts today should recall that in 1984 it was said that ‘yeh teen de do toh baaki sab shaant ho jaayega (Give us these three, then there will be peace)’. It was in 1984 and now it’s almost 2025. The aakrosh (outcry) we see today could possibly be linked to this,” Parande said, reaffirming the VHP’s commitment to “liberating” Kashi and Mathura after the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The VHP leader’s remarks come against the backdrop of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement expressing concern over post-Ayodhya temple-mosque controversies, a stand that has been snubbed by some key Hindu seers. The RSS-linked weekly, the Organiser, has in an editorial appeared to rebut Bhagwat, terming the push to look for temples under mosques as a quest for “civilisational justice”.

“A truthful understanding of history is vital for achieving civilisational justice, promoting peace and harmony among all communities. The time is ripe to address this quest for civilisational justice,” the Organiser editorial published on Wednesday said. The magazine’s cover story ison Sambhal.

Asked about Bhagwat’s statement, VHP’s Parande sought to be diplomatic, saying the RSS chief’s comments should be seen in the “right context” of his past utterances on Kashi and Mathura.

Parande sought to underline that Bhagwat had more than once stressed the importance of Kashi and Mathura for Hindus, obliquely hinting that if Hindus get control of the two holy sites, other disputes would not arise.

“Respected Bhagwatji has in the past given many statements regarding Kashi and Mathura…. His present statement should be linked with the statements in the past and seen in the right context,” Parande said.

“He (Bhagwat) had expressed eagerness about Kashi and Mathura…. Maybe because these two issues were not getting resolved, so the outcry among Hindus,” the VHP leader added.

The increasingly shrill demand for surveys of Mughal-era mosques, sparked by the violence linked to such an exercise at the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal that claimed four lives on November 24, has created ripples in the wider Sangh Parivar. The discord in the saffron family has deepened after RSS chief Bhagwat spoke against raking up communal disputes.

The disputes over the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi and the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah in Mathura are currently being fought in courts. Although the RSS has avoided any active role in the controversies, the VHP has been firmly pursuing the matter. In September, the VHP had organised a meeting to discuss the Kashi-Mathura legal tangle. As many as 30 retired judges of the Supreme Court and different high courts, along with Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, participated in the meeting.

While asserting that Kashi and Mathura remain on the agenda of the VHP, Parande announced that on January 5 a countrywide “awakening campaign” would be launched from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh to “liberate” temples from the control of state governments.

“All state governments should detach themselves from the control, management and daily work of temples because such activities are discriminatory towards the Hindu society. We are going to start a countrywide public awareness campaign from January 5 at a huge gathering in Vijayawada,” Parande said.

The Sangh Parivar plans to use the “temple liberation movement” to spread its wings in the south as most southern states have control over their temples.