Political row over SP candidate’s temple visit in Kanpur

Samajwadi Party candidate faces backlash for offering prayers at Shiva temple during campaigning, sparking controversy and fatwa.

Samajwadi Party candidate from Sisamau Assembly segment, Naseem Solanki, has landed in a controversy after offering prayers at a Shiva temple on the occasion of Deepavali.

Ms. Solanki, wife of Irfan Solanki who previously occupied the Sisamau seat, visited the Vankhandeshwar Temple in Kanpur and offered prayers to the Shivling during campaigning on the night of October 31. Issuing a fatwa against her, the All India Muslim Jamaat’s national president Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi on Saturday (November 2, 2024) called her actions “criminal” in the eyes of the Shariat (law).

“As per Islam, idol worship is haram and strict rules apply. If the woman has done this unknowingly, then she is a criminal in the eyes of Shariat and must repent,” said Mr. Razvi. 

Amid the backlash, a Hindu priest reportedly conducted a purification ritual at the temple, using 1,000 litres of Gangajal. The temple authorities, however, said they take strong exception to the fatwa, terming it an “insult” to the deity. “We purified the temple and Shivling as Muslim clerics objected to the visit to the temple and called it unethical. It’s an insult to our deity,” said a priest at the temple.

The ruling BJP targeted the SP candidate over the temple visit, describing it as “political stunt”. “They [SP] remember temples when election approaches,” said BJP MLA Surendra Maithani. 

Sisamau is one out of nine Assembly segments going to byelections, with the others being Katehri in Ambedkar Nagar, Kundarki in Moradabad, Ghaziabad in Ghaziabad, Majhwan in Mirzapur, Karhal in Mainpuri district, Khair in Aligarh, Phulpur in Prayagrah and Meerapur in Muzaffarnagar district. In Sisamau, the byelection is being held due to the disqualification of Mr. Solanki, who was convicted in a criminal case.