On July 25, Vishwa Hindu Parishad demanded the withdrawal of a tender worth Rs 46 lakh issued to Mumbai-based Anwar Sheikh for the construction of shops (tents) and children’s play area for the Somnath Mahadev Temple fair in Bilimora town of Navsari, Gujarat. The construction has already commenced by the contractor.
VHP has stated that awarding the tender to a Muslim will hurt the religious sentiments of lakhs of devotees who will visit the fair. They visited the Temple Trust office and warned if the tender was not cancelled, they would do protests. VHP alleged that in such circumstances, there would be a possibility that meat would be consumed on the premises. They further alleged Namaz might be offered on the premises, which would hurt the religious sentiments of lakhs of Hindus. Reports suggest that after the objection raised by VHP, a meeting was held with the temple trust, and the matter was resolved.
As per reports, the fair takes place every year at the temple premises, and over 10 lakh devotees visit the temple during that period. VHP Bilimora President Hiren Shah said in a statement, “This is for the first time a Mumbai-based firm has filled the tender for children’s rides while the other two tenders have been given to Hindus.” He further added that VHP’s teams would keep vigil at the fair, and if they find anything objectionable, action will be taken accordingly.
Temple Trustee Shiva Patel said the matter was resolved after the meeting. He said, “We have come out with a solution that the tender cannot be cancelled currently, but will take guarantee from the people (contractor) that they will not eat the meat inside the campus or will offer prayers. Next time, we will think of issuing the tenders. We had also presented our problems before the VHP, after which they agreed.”
Somnath Mahadev Temple fair takes place every year during the month of Shravan. Lakhs of devotees visit the temple during the fair to take blessings of Bhagwan Shiv. The stalls at the temple attract a lot of customers, and businesses worth crores take place during that period. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the fair did not take place for two years.
OpIndia tried to contact Hiren Shah but could not connect.
