Gandhinagar, Mar 13 (PTI) A private member’s resolution on the Somnath Temple, moved by a BJP legislator, triggered a heated debate between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress in the Gujarat Assembly on Friday with both sides trading charges before it was unanimously adopted.
During discussion on the resolution, Opposition party’s MLAs accused the BJP government of demolishing properties in the name of development near the temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, while the treasury benches alleged some Congress leaders were against the shrine’s reconstruction after independence.
After a heated exchange of words, the resolution related to the celebration of “Somnath Swabhiman Parv” was unanimously adopted by the House.
Moving the resolution, BJP MLA Sardar Chaudhary said the Somnath Temple was a symbol of India’s spiritual, religious and cultural heritage and represented the unbroken faith of the country despite facing repeated attacks in the past.
He pointed out that the first attack on the temple in 1026 would complete 1,000 years in 2026 and recalled that the decision to rebuild the shrine after Independence was taken by India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
He noted the country was marking the 75th anniversary of the temple’s reconstruction and inauguration and that the Union government had decided to celebrate the occasion throughout the year as “Somnath Swabhiman Parv”.
Chaudhary referred to a programme organised in January at Somnath which Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended as the chief guest.
He urged the Assembly to celebrate Somnath Swabhiman Parv as a symbol of India’s cultural pride and spiritual unity and requested the state government to help spread the spirit across the country.
However, the discussion took a contentious turn when Congress MLA Vimal Chudasama alleged that people living around the temple were being affected in the name of development works linked to the proposed Somnath corridor.
Chudasama said people of various communities, including the Koli community, had historically contributed to protecting the temple, located in Gujarat’s coastal Gir Somnath district, and many families had been living in the area for generations.
“We have no objection to the development of the Somnath Temple. But in the name of development, houses are demolished, shops are demolished, mosques are demolished, dargahs are demolished and even temples are demolished,” the Congress MLA said in the House.
He alleged that the Khodiyar Mata Temple near Shankh Circle (in Somnath) and samadhis of sadhus who lived in the area for years were demolished, claiming a wall was constructed overnight and the structures were removed using a JCB machine at night.
His remarks drew a strong response from BJP MLA Bhagwan Barad, who insisted no legal structures had been demolished during the removal of encroachments near the temple.
“No one’s legal house has been demolished anywhere,” Barad said while speaking in support of the resolution.
He claimed that structures which were removed were illegal and built on government land, and were obstructing development work.
During the exchange of words, Chudasama raised a point of order and insisted that people who had been living in the area for decades were displaced without notice.
Deputy Speaker Purnesh Modi said such matters were part of the administrative process and asked members to continue with the discussion.
Barad maintained that the Opposition was misleading the House and reiterated that the action was taken only against encroachments on government land.
“If any legal house, legal temple or legal mosque has been demolished, they should provide proof,” the BJP legislator asserted, adding the state government had not forcibly taken land from anyone for the corridor project.
He maintained people were voluntarily giving their land and property for the project, and claimed the government was offering compensation several times higher than what had previously been given in Somnath.
Later in the debate, Education Minister Pradyuman Vaja supported the resolution and launched a scathing attack on the Congress, invoking historical events related to the temple’s reconstruction after Independence.
Vaja referred to the period after Independence when the Somnath Temple was rebuilt and cited letters written by then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru regarding the consecration ceremony held in 1951.
Quoting from a letter written by Nehru to President Rajendra Prasad, Vaja said the then-PM had expressed reservations about the President attending the inauguration of the temple.
“I confess that I do not like your associating yourself with the inauguration of the Somnath Temple. I think if you (then-President Prasad) do not preside over this programme, it will be better,” Vaja quoted from the letter in the Assembly.
The Education Minister said the letter reflected what he described as the Congress leadership’s opposition to the consecration ceremony at the time and accused the party of having an appeasement mindset.
Vaja referred to correspondence written by Nehru to Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji and K M Munshi (both of them were associated with reconstruction efforts) regarding the temple inauguration, saying these letters showed concerns within a section of Congress leadership about government’s involvement in the event.
The minister argued that the reconstruction of the Somnath Temple had been a historic resolve of Sardar Patel and that it symbolised the cultural pride of the country.
Despite the sharp exchange between the ruling party and the Opposition during the debate, the House later accepted Chaudhary’s resolution unanimously, marking cross-party support for celebrating Somnath Swabhiman Parv. PTI PJT PD RSY
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