Delhi: A massive demonstration was held by Hindu right-wing nationalist groups on Friday against the construction of a Haj House in Delhi’s Dwarka locality. The Hindutva groups, who had gathered at the site for the proposed Haj House in Dwarka’s Sector 22, claimed that the existence of the Haj House would affect peaceful coexistence.
The All Dwarka Residents’ Federation claimed that the construction of the Haj House will disturb brotherhood, harmony, and peace. The federation also wrote to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal (who is also the chairperson of Delhi Development Authority), asking him to cancel the land allotment made for the Haj House.
Haj Houses are facilities where Hajis (people going for Hajj) are accommodated before they go for the pilgrimage visit to Mecca.
Videos from the ‘mahapanchayat’ or mass assembly, at Bharthal Chowk in Dwarka, show the Hindutva mobs making anti-Muslim comments and calling for violence if the Haj House is built.
“… there will be every possibility of riots, migration of Hindus, and repetition of situations like ShaheenBagh, Jaffarabad, and Kashmir,” the All Dwarka Residents Federation stated in the letter to the Delhi LG sent last week.
ShaheenBagh and Jaffarabad were sites where massive protests took place against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens promulgated by the Central Government.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have also raised objections to the construction of the Haj House with some of them present at the rally to make their stance clear.
The chief of the Delhi unit of BJP, Adesh Gupta was also present at the mahapanchayat.
“Dilli Dehat [area] has a huge contribution in the development of Delhi and we will not let their voices die down,” he wrote in a tweet. Criticizing Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Gupta added that his politics was one of appeasement, and not development.
During the demonstration, the videos of which are now circulating on social media, mobs can be seen chanting “Jai Sri Ram” and “Vande Mataram”. The crowds also were seen repeatedly sloganeering, “Ye bhumi hamaari hai, iska faisla hum karenge (This is our land and we will decide its fate).
In other videos that are doing rounds on social media, speakers at the rally can be heard saying things like “We will not let them build the Haj House” and “The message has been conveyed to the Delhi government, if they build the Haj House, lakhs of people will assemble and teach them a lesson.”
The foundation stone for the proposed Haj House was laid in 2008 by the then Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, according to The Indian Express. The project was, however, left in the lurch and the building layout could be completed only in 2018.
In 2018, the Aam Aadmi Party government allocated Rs 94 crore for the construction of the Haj House.
Haj Houses are facilities where Hajis (people going for Hajj) are accommodated before they go for the pilgrimage visit to Mecca.