Prime Minister Narendra Modi will continue his annual tradition of sending a ceremonial ‘chadar’ to the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, despite the ongoing controversy surrounding the shrine. The offering will take place during the Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti on Thursday.
The ceremonial ‘chadar’ will be handed over to Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju and BJP Minority Morcha president Jamal Siddiqui at 6 PM. They will present it at the shrine on behalf of the Prime Minister.
Since assuming office, PM Modi has offered a ‘chadar’ to the dargah 10 times, and this year will mark his 11th such gesture. Last year, during the 812th Urs, the ‘chadar’ was presented by then Union Minister Smriti Irani and Jamal Siddiqui, accompanied by a delegation representing the Muslim community.
The Shiva Temple Controversy
The gesture comes amid a legal dispute involving the Ajmer Sharif Dargah. A Rajasthan court recently accepted a petition filed by the Hindu Sena, claiming that the revered dargah is, in fact, a Shiva temple.
In November 2024, a local court in Ajmer issued a notice to three parties in a civil suit alleging the existence of a Shiva temple within the dargah. The Ajmer Sharif Dargah Committee countered these claims, filing a five-page application in the Munsif Court on December 20, urging the dismissal of the petition. The next hearing is scheduled for January 24, 2025.
Balancing Faith and Controversy
The Prime Minister’s offering of the ceremonial ‘chadar’ comes amidst heightened communal sensitivities due to the ongoing legal dispute. While the BJP has sought to maintain its outreach to minority communities through such gestures, the party faces challenges in balancing its political narrative with controversies involving places of worship.