On Friday (17th February), the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust clarified that Rahul Gandhi did not perform Puja in the Vishwanath Mandir’s Garbhgrih.
In a press note, the trust categorically stated that the position of “Mahant” at the temple is defunct and the allegations levelled by the Congress party, claiming that the temple administration did not allow cameras inside Garbhgrih as Rahul Gandhi performed Puja, were false.
Furthermore, the trust clarified that Mahant Rajendra Tiwari, who claimed to be associated with Vishwanath Mandir, is not associated with the temple. Gandhi was in Varanasi as part of his “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra”.
— Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust (@ShriVishwanath) February 17, 2024
In the press note, the temple trust stated that recent reports on social media and electronic media regarding Rahul Gandhi’s purported visit to the Garbhgrih of the temple, facilitated by Mahant Rajendra Tiwari, were misleading.
The press note emphasised several aspects of these reports, including that only appointed priests conduct rituals and prayers within the Garbhgrih as per the directives of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir Nyas.
Furthermore, there is no designated “Mahant” position at the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, nor is any Mahant appointed. The temple administration also refuted the claims that Tiwari conducted any Puja inside the temple premises and urged all print and electronic media to refrain from publishing such reports or videos without the official statement from the Nyas.
आज सवेरे करीब 10.30 बजे @RahulGandhi जी ने काशी में बाबा विश्वनाथ मंदिर में दर्शन और अभिषेक किया।
— Congress (@INCIndia) February 17, 2024
अंतिम क्षण पर मंदिर में जाने के लिए हमारे कैमरा को मिली अनुमति निरस्त कर दी गई।
ज़िला प्रशासन ने आश्वस्त किया कि मंदिर के कैमरापर्सन द्वारा फोटो साझा की जाएगी।
साढ़े तीन घंटे तक…
The press note came after Congress accused the temple administration of not allowing the party’s personnel camera person inside the Garbhgrih. In a post on X, Congress wrote that around 10:30 AM, Rahul Gandhi visited Baba Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, where he offered prayers and performed an Abhishek.
The party claimed they had permission to take a personal camera person inside the premises, but the consent was revoked at the last moment. They further contended that the district administration assured them that photos clicked by the temple’s photographer would be shared with the party, but that did not happen.
The party said, “Only seven pictures were eventually sent, none of which are of the visit, even though the temple’s cameraperson took them.”
भगवान शिव राहुल गांधी जी के आराध्य हैं. आज उन्होंने सुबह काशी में बाबा विश्वनाथ के दर्शन किए
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) February 17, 2024
प्रशासन ने ऐन वक़्त पर हमारे कैमरे की अनुमति निरस्त कर दी और कहा कि मंदिर का PRO फोटो खींच कर साझा कर देंगे
4 घंटे तक कोई फोटो नहीं दी, और जो दी वह 2 साल के बच्चे की खींची हुई तस्वीरों… pic.twitter.com/FTPLKLGVRg
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they said, “By doing so, once again, the Varanasi district administration has proven to be nothing more than a “camera-friendly” apparatus seated in Delhi. This is not politics or flattery, but remember, neither the determination of Bhagwan Shiva’s devotees nor the power of justice can be stopped by such actions. May Baba Vishwanath bless everyone and grant wisdom to the wicked.”
Speaking on the matter, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary said, “Those who are looters have to show everything… These (Congress) people are corrupt. They only want to show their pictures.”
#WATCH Delhi: After Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to take camera in Kashi Vishwanath, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary said, "Those who are looters have to show everything… These (Congress) people are corrupt. They only want to show their pictures." pic.twitter.com/Z0QpdxKI3y
— ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2024
Who is Rajendra Tiwari
Rajendra Tiwari is the former Mahant of Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Speaking to ETV Bharat, he claimed to have performed Puja for Rahul Gandhi on 17th February. He claimed that religion was an essential topic for Gandhi and urged Tiwari to visit Delhi for discussion. Responding to Nyas’s press note, Tiwari claimed that the government and administration do not decide who is the Mahant. He further claimed that the Temple administration was taken over by the government, not the Mahant family.
Tiwari has been making headlines for his controversial statements. In 2022, when a Shivling was found in Gyanvapi’s disputed structure, he claimed there was no Shivling in an interview with CJP. However, in a debate, he asserted that ruins of a Shivling were present in the disputed structure. Tiwari’s family was embroiled in a court case with the UP government over ownership rights of the temple. In 1983, the then-Congress government in the state headed by Sripati Mishra took charge of the temple under the Uttar Pradesh Kashi Vishwanath Temple Act, 1983. Since then, a government-appointed chief executive officer and a board of trustees have managed the temple. Since the redevelopment project in Kashi Vishwanath Temple premises started by the Modi government, Tiwari and his followers have claimed that old temples were “razed” in the name of redevelopment.
