Saurabh Mukherjee
On Saturday (November 2), priests performed a purification ritual at the Vankhandeshwar Temple in Kanpur using “1,000 liters” of Ganga water after a Muslim woman, Naseem Solanki, who is contesting an Assembly by-election on a Samajwadi Party ticket, prayed and conducted rituals there during Diwali.
Naseem, the candidate for the Shisamau constituency, stated that she visited the Van-Khandeshwar temple at the request of her Hindu supporters.
Naseem performed a ‘jalabhishek’ (pouring holy water on an idol of a deity) of the Shivalinga at the temple on Thursday and lit a diya for Diwali, with the event captured in a video shared on social media.
The temple authorities said that while they have no issue with Solanki's visit, they strongly condemn the fatwa issued against her by Muslim clerics, labelling it an "insult" to the deity.
"While we do not object to anyone's visit to the temple, we have a problem with people coming here to achieve their political goals, holding ill-will", a priest of the temple said.
"We are purifying the temple and the Shivalinga as Muslim clerics objected to Naseem Solanki's visit to the temple and called it unethical. This is an insult to our deity, whom we are now bathing with the gangajal," the temple priest added.
Located within the Sishamau Assembly constituency, the Vankhandeshwar Temple serves a diverse community of both Hindus and Muslims.
Shisamau, one of nine Assembly constituencies holding by-elections on November 13, became vacant when Naseem’s husband, Irfan Solanki, a sitting Samajwadi MLA, was sentenced to seven years in prison for burning down an elderly woman's house.
Kanpur Mahanagar MLA Surendra Maithani of the BJP criticized Naseem, saying, “The Samajwadi Party candidate is trying to woo Hindus as well as Muslims but she appears to be losingboth communities’ support.”
The BJP has previously opposed temple visits by Hindu Samajwadi leaders, equating them with Muslims, who form the party’s main support base alongside the Yadav community.
In a similar context, BJP workers had the Gaurishankar temple in Kannauj washed after Samajwadi president Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple prayed there during the recent general election campaign.
Naseem, the candidate for the Shisamau constituency, stated that she visited the Van-Khandeshwar temple at the request of her Hindu supporters.
Naseem performed a ‘jalabhishek’ (pouring holy water on an idol of a deity) of the Shivalinga at the temple on Thursday and lit a diya for Diwali, with the event captured in a video shared on social media.
The temple authorities said that while they have no issue with Solanki's visit, they strongly condemn the fatwa issued against her by Muslim clerics, labelling it an "insult" to the deity.
"While we do not object to anyone's visit to the temple, we have a problem with people coming here to achieve their political goals, holding ill-will", a priest of the temple said.
"We are purifying the temple and the Shivalinga as Muslim clerics objected to Naseem Solanki's visit to the temple and called it unethical. This is an insult to our deity, whom we are now bathing with the gangajal," the temple priest added.
Located within the Sishamau Assembly constituency, the Vankhandeshwar Temple serves a diverse community of both Hindus and Muslims.
Shisamau, one of nine Assembly constituencies holding by-elections on November 13, became vacant when Naseem’s husband, Irfan Solanki, a sitting Samajwadi MLA, was sentenced to seven years in prison for burning down an elderly woman's house.
Kanpur Mahanagar MLA Surendra Maithani of the BJP criticized Naseem, saying, “The Samajwadi Party candidate is trying to woo Hindus as well as Muslims but she appears to be losingboth communities’ support.”
The BJP has previously opposed temple visits by Hindu Samajwadi leaders, equating them with Muslims, who form the party’s main support base alongside the Yadav community.
In a similar context, BJP workers had the Gaurishankar temple in Kannauj washed after Samajwadi president Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple prayed there during the recent general election campaign.
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