A novel controversy has erupted over the allotment of a house to a person belonging to a minority community in the Chief Minister’s Housing Scheme named Motnath Residency, built near the Motnath Mahadev temple at Harani in Vadodara. The Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s (VMC) decision has sparked outrage among the Hindu residents of the society. The Hindus are demanding a reversal of the decision taken by the VMC and saying that the family belonging to the minority community shall be given residence in the minority community area and not in the Hindu-populated region.
According to the information received, a society named Motnath was built under the Chief Minister’s Housing Scheme in the Harani area of Vadodara. A total of 462 houses have been constructed in this society. Out of these houses, 461 houses were allotted to Hindus, while 1 house has now been allotted to a person belonging to a minority community. The decision has sparked outrage among residents who have demanded that the house belonging to a minority community be transferred to a society built in a minority area.
મુખ્યમંત્રી આવાસ યોજનામાં વિધર્મીને આપ્યું મકાન , લોકોએ કર્યો વિરોધ#Vadodara #Gujarat #TV9News pic.twitter.com/ui6bT0SEjh
— Tv9 Gujarati (@tv9gujarati) June 10, 2024
The incident of protest is said to have happened on June 10th. The Hindu residents also raised slogans against the VMC regarding this demand. Amidst the outcry over house allotment, a local person said, “Houses have been built for minority communities in areas like Tandalja, Akota, which is a Hindu area. Despite this, a person from a minority community has been allotted housing in a Hindu residency. No one is paying attention to this. We have been protesting for the past 6 years and if these people continue to live in a Hindu residency, our situation will become dire.”
Local women were also upset about this type of house allotment. A local woman told reporters, “Our only demand is that their (minority community member’s) house be shifted to their region. This is a Hindu community; we simply wish to live here in peace.”
It should be mentioned that these residences were assigned in 2019, and the locals protested the VMC decision as soon as they learned that people from the minority population would be living here.
Residents claim that their protest is now concentrated merely within the society. If their demands are not met by the Vadodara administration, these protests will take place outside of society. Locals have vowed to go on hunger strike if their demands are not met, in addition to peaceful agitation.
