"Gyanvapi was a Mosque and will remain a Mosque till Judgement day," said All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi in a tweet on Monday, 16 May.
The tweet came after a Varanasi Court order instructed the District Magistrate (DM) to seal the area where a 'Shivling' was allegedly found inside the complex of the disputed Gyanvapi Mosque.
Meanwhile, reacting to the order, Uttar Pradesh (UP) Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said "truth will come out one day".
"No matter how much you hide the 'Truth,' one day it will come out because 'Truth is Shiva.' Glory to Baba, Har Har Mahadev!"
The three-day videography survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid complex in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, ended on Monday. The court added that the DM, police commissioner, police commissionerate, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandant Varanasi would be responsible for the security of the sealed area.
The court order said that it is the responsibility of the Lucknow Police chief and the chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh to ensure the enforcement of the order.
Maurya also said, "The manifestation of Baba Mahadev in Gyanvapi on the occasion of Buddha Purnima has given a mythological message to the country's eternal Hindu tradition."
The next hearing in the matter will be on Tuesday, 17 May.
'They Are After All Our Mosques Now': Mufti
Meanwhile, People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti said the Centre was after all the mosques now.
"We created a safe atmosphere for Kashmiri pandits. In 2010, and 2016, during peak unrest, no killing happened. The Kashmir Files movie has also triggered it. They're creating Hindu-Muslim issues to distract from real topics and are after Gyanvapi mosque now," she said, as per ANI.
"They are after all our mosques. Give us a list of all mosques you are eyeing. They are after the Gyanvapi mosque now. Would everything be okay when they take all of it?" she asked.
Reacting to Mufti's and Owaisi's remark, Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi said,
"I want to say to them (Asaduddin Owaisi and Mehbooba Mufti) to maintain peace and brotherhood and also suggest them to read history again. The matter is in the court, they should not interfere and disturb the environment."Meenakshi Lekhi, as per ANI
Owaisi had rpeviously asserted that the Gyanvapi Mosque verdict is a "blatant violation" of the Places of Worship Act 1991.
Expressing displeasure, the leader had said, "I hope that the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and the Masjid committee would go to the Supreme Court. I have lost one Babri Masjid and I don't want to lose another masjid."
(With inputs from ANI.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)