Places of Worship Act needs to be followed: Asaduddin Owaisi on suit claiming Shiva temple within Ajmer Sharif Dargah

Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Maharashtra) [India], December 1 (ANI): Reacting to the suit claiming Shiva temple within Ajmer Sharif Dargah, AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday said that the Places of Worship [Special Provisions] Act, 1991 needs to be followed.
The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act prohibits changing the character of religious places from how they existed on August 15, 1947.
"Ajmer Sharif dargah represents the secular nature of India... Not just Ajmer Sharif dargah, but Salim Chishti dargah is also under scanner. Places of worship act needs to be followed," Asaduddin Owaisi told reporters.
Owaisi also said that his party's vote share in all the seats it contested in the Maharashtra Assembly election was very good.
"Our vote share was very good in all the seats we contested... We will work on our shortcomings. We'll hold discussions with our party workers. What is beyond understanding is the collapse of the MVA... We will continue to raise our voice for Maratha reservation, and that is our commitment," he said.
Notably, a Rajasthan court had accepted a petition submitted by the Hindu Sena, which claims that Ajmer Sharif Dargah is a Shiva temple.
On Wednesday, a local court in Ajmer directed that notice be issued to three parties in a civil suit that claims that there is a Shiva temple in the Dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, according to the plaintiff's advocate.
On Saturday, Rajasthan Minister Jawahar Singh Bedham stated that the petition is now in court, and the state government will follow whatever decision the court makes.
While speaking to ANI, the Rajasthan Minister, Jawahar Singh Bedham said that Congress has always divided people by doing appeasement politics.
"Congress has always divided people by doing appeasement politics. Our aim is to preserve the cultural identity. The state moves on the path of development. The petition has gone to court. Whatever decision will be taken by the court the state government will follow it," he said.
Earlier, BJP leader and Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Speaker, Vasudev Devnani urged not to "politicise" the issue of a suit claiming Shiva temple within Ajmer Sharif Dargah.
Speaking to ANI, on Saturday, he stated that the matter remains in court, and the decision is pending.
He said, "This dispute is still in the court. The court has just issued notices. After that, the court will decide and whatever it says about the survey, everyone should follow it... I urge everyone not to politicise this matter... Many centres of faith have indeed been tampered with in the last 1100-1200 years. Let the court decide on those centres..."
Reacting to the claim, the Ajmer Dargah chief said, "What did (RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat say in 2022? 'How long will you look for a shivling in every mosque'? The same was done inside Samhal. The consequences were that five innocent people lost their lives. Out of the five dead, two were the lone breadwinners." "How big is this setback (to their families)? They (authorities) do not have any remorse for it." (ANI)