Lucknow: Vishwa Hindu Parishad has distanced itself from a call by seers to launch a Karsewa campaign for Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura on Dec 6, saying the matter should instead be resolved through the legal process.The next hearing in Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Eidgah dispute, currently pending before the Supreme Court, is on Aug 12.“Our lawyers tell us that we have a strong legal case. It would be appropriate to await the outcome of the litigation. With a lawful right, a temple may then be constructed (in Mathura),” VHP international president Alok Kumar told TOI on Monday.Kumar drew a distinction between the Krishna Janmabhoomi movement and the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation that transformed Indian politics in the late 1980s and 1990s.“We will get our right through the court. Our stand is clear: we would like to wait,” he said, adding that the circumstances surrounding Mathura were “vastly different” from those of Ayodhya.VHP’s response came a day after a large congregation of seers from Mathura-Vrindavan, Haridwar, Ayodhya and Varanasi reportedly announced a Dec 6 Karsewa at the ashram of Chitragupta Peethadhishwar Swami Sacchidanand Maharaj in Mathura.The symbolism of the chosen date cannot be missed since Dec 6 marks the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992.According to reports, seers explicitly invoked the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and declared that a similar campaign would now be undertaken for Krishna Janmabhoomi.The seers’ call has raised concerns for Mathura administration. Reports indicate that administration has begun taking preventive measures, with some members of the Hindu Mahasabha said to have been taken into preventive custody. Security agencies, too, will keep monitoring the developments.The announcement reflects growing impatience among sections of the religious leadership who feel that the momentum generated by the Ram temple construction should be extended to Mathura and Kashi. Their demand centres on the removal of legal and historical obstacles to temple construction at sites they regard as the sacred birthplaces of Hindu deities.However, VHP’s response indicates little scope for replicating the mass mobilisation model that characterised the Ayodhya movement.VHP is convinced that litigation offers a stronger pathway than public mobilisation. Kumar’s repeated emphasis on having a “good case” suggests that the VHP believes legal developments are moving in its favour and that any aggressive campaign could complicate proceedings.Unlike the prolonged and often turbulent Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, the Krishna Janmabhoomi dispute is currently embedded in an active judicial process. Several suits concerning the land and the adjoining Shahi Eidgah mosque are before the courts, with Supreme Court now hearing key aspects of the matter.
