In Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura, a controversy has erupted over the awarding of a contract to a Muslim contractor to install steel railings in the corridors and courtyard of the Banke Bihari Temple. The Hindu saints of Braj and the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Sangharsh Trust have strongly objected to this. In a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Dinesh Falahari Maharaj, president of the trust, has demanded the cancellation of the contract given to Salim Ahmed or Salim Khan of Meerut-based Kanika Construction.
While some reports say that Salim is the owner of Kanika Construction, other reports say that Salim is a main partner in the company and is a Congress leader. The Mathura ADM is also suspected of having a hand in securing this tender. Salim Khan was also awarded a tender to distribute food packets during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dinesh Falahari Maharaj stated that the residents of Braj are not accepting the entry of opponents of Sanatan Dharma into the sacred site where Goddess Radha and Lord Krishna performed the Maharas. He said, “If people who eat beef and consider Hindus infidels come to Banke Bihari’s courtyard, even our Kanhaiya will be angry with us.”
It has been alleged that Salim Ahmed Khan obtained the said contract by concealing his religious identity. Falahari Maharaj demanded a high-level investigation into the matter and said, “When thousands of skilled Hindu contractors exist in our Sanatani society, why are self-declared descendants of the Mughals being allowed to enter the temple premises? Their (Muslim) entry should be prohibited within a one-kilometre radius of the Banke Bihari Temple.”
The outraged Hindu saints opine that entrusting the beautification of Hindu temples to the so-called descendants of those who destroyed them and offered Namaz at the temples of Mathura, Kashi, and Ayodhya is an attack on the faith of millions of Hindus.
