Pujaris 'purify' Kanpur temple after Samajwadi Party candidate pays visit
A political storm has erupted in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, after Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Naseem Solanki visited the Vankhandeshwar Temple. Solanki, who is contesting the Sishamau Assembly seat bypolls, visited the temple and offered prayers on October 31, as part of her campaign. Her visit was criticized by Muslim religious leaders, resulting in a Fatwa issued by Mufti Shahbuddin Rizvi Barelvi.
Temple purification rituals performed in response to fatwa
In reaction to the Fatwa, pujaris at the Vankhandeshwar Temple conducted purification rituals. They sprinkled "gangajal" across the temple and washed the Shivalinga. While the temple authorities had no objection to Solanki's visit, they strongly opposed the Fatwa, terming it an "insult" to their deity. A temple priest said, "We are purifying the temple and Shivalinga as Muslim clerics objected to Naseem Solanki's visit...and called it unethical."
Temple visit criticized as political maneuver
The incident is viewed as an effort by Solanki to woo Hindu voters in a constituency with a sizable Hindu and Muslim population. The temple authorities slammed using religious visits for political purposes. "While we do not object to anyone's visit...we have a problem with people coming here to achieve their political goals, holding ill-will," added the priest.
BJP MLA criticizes Solanki's temple visit
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Surendra Maithani slammed Solanki's visit as a political stunt by SP members. He said he was confident that his party would win the seat no matter what she did. The Sishamau Assembly seat bypolls were necessitated after Irfan Solanki, Naseem's husband and former SP MLA, was disqualified over his involvement in a criminal case.
