The Congress on Thursday attacked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by accusing it of hurting the sentiments of the Jain community.
Congress alleged that BJP’s attempts to transform holy places of the Jain community in Gujarat and Jharkhand into tourist destinations are aimed at filling the coffers of state governments.
Slamming the BJP government, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said that on Wednesday a delegation of the Jain community met Rahul Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Yatra and submitted a memorandum to him.
“The BJP wants to make the holy pilgrimage centres of Jainism like Sammed Shikharji, Palitana’s Shatrunjaya Hills, and Mount Girnar as tourist destinations to fill the state coffers,” Khera alleged.
The Congress leader further said that the party is committed to protecting all religious places under the Constitution of India.
Khera said, “On the one hand, Rahul Gandhi is undertaking a historic Bharat Jodo Yatra to unite every Indian, and on the other hand, the vile BJP is spreading the poison of hate.”
“Congress’ clarion call is ‘Bharat Jodo’, while the BJP’s action is ‘Nafrat Gholo’,” Kheda added.
Former Union minister Pradeep Jain Aditya said that Jainism, a 2500-year-old religion with a small population, has contributed immensely to the economic progress of India.
“It is said that the principles of the Jain community inspired Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violence and Satyagraha. Today, the BJP-RSS has betrayed them and has deeply hurt their sentiments,” the Congress leader said.
Aditya further said that people of Jain society from all over the country are agitated. “In many cities, lakhs of people are undertaking peaceful agitations,” he added.
“There are two reasons for this. The previous BJP government of Jharkhand and the Modi government jointly declared Giridih, the ‘Nirvana Bhoomi’ (salvation site) of 20 Jain Tirthankaras,” Aditya said.
“The most important pilgrimage centres of Jainism – ‘Sammed Shikharji’ and ‘Parasnath hill’ – were designated as Eco Sensitive Zones (ESZ) and turned into tourist destinations,” he added.
“On April 14, 2015, the state government of Jharkhand, under the then Chief minister Raghubar Das of the BJP, released the ‘Parasnath Pahari Vikas Yojana’ to develop tourism in Shikharji Hills. The plan included construction of a helipad, theme park, tourist reception centre, car parking centre and bus stand in Madhuban, etc.,” Aditya said.
“Whereas on August 10, 2018, when there were state-wide agitations, the BJP’s Raghubar Das government banned the movement of vehicles and two-wheelers on Parasnath and Shikharji hills, giving a small concession to the agitating Jain community,” he claimed.
He also pointed out that declaring an ESZ does not mean that the tourism sector cannot be developed there. “It can be developed and the BJP’s illegal motives of building hotels, resorts, helipads, theme parks, tourist reception centres, etc., can be realised,” Aditya said.
He further said that for the last three years, Jharkhand’s UPA government of Congress-JMM has not taken any step on Parasnath hill or Shikharji that could hurt their sanctity or the sentiments of the Jain community, although policy-wise, the state government is bound by the Union Government’s decision.
He also alleged that in Gujarat, where the BJP has a “double engine government”, the ruling party is making malicious attempts to pollute the sanctity of two pilgrimage sites for the Jain community.
“The first site is the Palitana’s Shatrunjaya hills near Bhavnagar in Gujarat, where RSS-VHP members have been persistently demanding a change of management of 865 Jain temples and pilgrimage centres, which are over 900 years old,” he said, adding that the site is considered to be the most sacred pilgrimage centre of the Shvetambara Jain community.
Highlighting the point of contention, Aditya said that the reason for the agony of the Jain community in Palitana is also the illegal commercialization going on under the patronage of the BJP government of Gujarat and illegal mining by mafias on the Shatrunjaya hills there.
“Recently, some anti-social elements also vandalised the ancient Charan Paduka on the ancient three Gauki pilgrimage route in Rohishala, Shatrunjay, due to which the people of the Jain community there are deeply hurt and are registering their peaceful protest daily through the streets and social media,” he said.
The second place considered very sacred for the Jain community is the Girnar mountains, near Junagadh, which is the karmsthali of the 22nd Jain Tirthankar Bhagwan Neminathji.
“The BJP government of Gujarat has announced plans to make it a tourist destination. If it becomes a tourist destination, it will not remain a place of pilgrimage, it will become a commercial place to fill the government treasury, which is against the beliefs of Jainism,” he noted.
“The Jain community is protesting in many cities in Gujarat. But the BJP-ruled Gujarat government, whose home minister himself belongs to the Jain community, has not responded. On the contrary, a ‘Special Task Force’ has been constituted to stop the movement of the Jain community,” he claimed.
Firing salvos at the ruling BJP, the Congress leader said, “Why is the BJP continuously taking steps to hurt the sentiments of Jain people? Is this part of a well-thought-out political conspiracy?”
“Didn’t the BJP’s Gujarat government insult and demean Jain pilgrimage sites?” Will the Modi government withdraw its notification declaring Parasnath Hills and Holy Shikharji as ESZ and convert them into tourist destinations? If not, is it not a violation of Article 25 of the Indian Constitution? Is this government’s ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’?” he asked.