Yogi says unfortunate to call Gyanvapi a mosque

Varanasi court has rejected plea seeking repairs to mosque basement

- NAMITA BAJPAI

CREATING ripples, UP CM Yogi Adityanath on Saturday called Gyanvapi the real embodiment of Lord Vishwanath himself. He said that it was "unfortunate" that people associated the name with a mosque, referring to the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi.

"Unfortunately, people call Gyanvapi a mosque, but it is actually 'Baba Vishwanath' (Lord Shiva) himself," said Yogi while addressing the inaugural session of an international seminar at Deendayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University.

The CM's statement has come close on the heels of an order of a Varanasi court on the Gyanvapi case on Thursday. The court rejected a petition from the Hindu side seeking repairs to the basement of 'Vyas Ji ka Thekhana' on the Gyanvapi mosque premises.