Sep 12, 2024 10:27 PM IST
Anirudh Singh said it was during the BJP regime that a sum of ₹2 lakh was provided to the mosque authorities from the planning head, by the then BJP government.
Himachal panchayati raj minister Anirudh Singh and public works minister Vikramaditya Singh on Thursday said Himachal was a peaceful state and no one will be allowed to create lawlessness.
“Himachal has always been a symbol of peace and harmony. A few people were trying to give a communal color to the entire episode for their vested interest forgetting that it was during the COVID-19 period that the structure was raised in an unauthorized manner when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was in Power, ” the duo said in a joint press conference over the recent protests.
Anirudh Singh said it was during the BJP regime that a sum of 2 lakh was provided to the mosque authorities from the planning head-VKV/2019/774, by the then BJP government. He also highlighted that the previous BJP government has also released another huge amount in lakhs for the same.
The ministers welcomed the decision of the mosque committee president Mohd. Latif and Maulana Shezaad and other members of the Wakf Board, who have voluntarily offered to demolish the disputed structure so that the brotherhood could be maintained.
Anirudh Singh said the incident started after a clash between the two communities at Malyana and as a result six Muslim youth were detained who were staying there under pseudonyms and few political outfits gave it a communal twist.
Vikramaditya, meanwhile, said, “It is a matter of investigation into how the unauthorized structure came up during the COVID-19 period under the previous government. The then municipal officers and officials who were entrusted with the task of planning and checking illegal constructions in the town remained mute spectators and will be investigated.”
The minsiter appealed to the residents till the final decision of the civic body court, that they should keep patience and maintain harmony and avoid taking the law into their hands.
He said the issue took an ugly turn, being backed up by BJP leaders, adding, “Police had to take some strict decision by use of force to disperse the crowd after stone pelting in which both the police and the locals were hurt, which was not the culture of the people of Himachal.”
