Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said the government would “reach every place” when asked whether its focus would now move to Kashi and Mathura after Ayodhya. He was speaking at the HT Leadership Summit 2025 in New Delhi when he was questioned about the disputes involving the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi and the Shahi Eidgah mosque complex in Mathura. The question referred to the popular slogan that says Ayodhya is only the beginning and that Kashi and Mathura are still pending.
Responding to this, he said, “We will reach all places, and we have already reached.” He said society should feel pride in its heritage and that the government’s efforts are moving in that direction. He added that the Supreme Court’s verdict on Ayodhya reflected the strength of Indian democracy. “We are grateful to the Honourable Supreme Court for its verdict after reviewing the facts and evidence presented before it. It is the biggest victory of Indian democracy that this decision of the Supreme Court was accepted by all,” he said.
The Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was demolished on December 6, 1992, by large groups of kar sevaks who had gathered for a rally organised by several Hindu nationalist groups. The mosque had been at the centre of a long and tense dispute over the claim that it stood on the birthplace of Lord Ram. The demolition led to widespread communal violence and decades of legal and political conflict. In 2019, the Supreme Court handed the disputed land to a trust for the construction of the Ram temple and ordered that another plot be given for a mosque.
The Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi has also been part of a long-running dispute. Many Hindu groups believe it was built after demolishing part of the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The mosque stands next to the famous temple, and the latest legal proceedings began after a group of women sought permission for daily prayers before idols on the outer walls. Multiple petitions have been filed in different courts seeking the restoration of the land to the Kashi Vishwanath temple and the removal of Muslims from the complex. The petitions also question the mosque’s origin and the right to worship at the disputed site.
In Mathura, the Shahi Eidgah mosque stands next to the Krishna Janmasthal, which many believe marks the birthplace of Lord Krishna. Hindu petitioners claim that the mosque was built during Aurangzeb’s rule after demolishing a temple. So far, nine cases have been filed in the Mathura court regarding the Krishna Janmabhoomi and Shahi Eidgah complex. The petitions demand the removal of the mosque from the 13.77 acre area that it shares with the Katra Keshav Dev Temple.
