No Religious Status For Mathura, Vrindavan

Jahnava Nitai Das · May 20, 2001

FROM THE TIMES OF INDIA NEWS SERVICE

INDIA, May 20 (VNN) — No religious status to Mathura, Vrindavan: Govt

LUCKNOW: The BJP-led government which swears by the name of Lord Rama has said a firm no to Lord Krishna. The government on Friday clarified in state assembly that Mathura and Vrindavan would not be given a status of religious city.

"The government cannot do it as it would be against the secular character of our constitution," said the minister of state for Urban Development Satish Mahana.

The government also refused to ban sale of liquor and mutton in the municipal limit if this twin city.

The issue was raised through a resolution by Ajay Kumar Pohia (BJP). He said Mathura and Vrindavan are religious city and the government should officially declare it so. He cited history to elaborate the religious importance of the city. Ram Swaroop Sharma (BJP) said that presence of liquor shops demean the religious importance of the city.

Cutting across the party lines Ram Tej (Samajwadi Party) said that all the religious places from Kashi to Paryag and from Neemsaar to Ayodhya should be officially get the religious city status. Laxmi Kant Vajpayee (BJP) said that Mathura and Vrindavan should get status akin to Hardwar.

The minister said that government is bound by law and it cannot declare any place religious as this may affect the religious sentiments of the people of other community. Moreover, the constitution too does not allow this, he added.

The resolution, however, was rejected by voice vote.

Tarun · July 19, 2002

MathurA & Vraj r so far beyond any materialist's conception of religion. dharmArtha kAma moxAdi.. prema pumArtho' mahAn

Even if all the atheists, cantors, cardinals, deacons, ministers, popes, priests, rabbis & skeptics who ever took birth on this or any other planet studied MathurA & VRndAvan for 108 Quadrillion yrs, neither collectively nor individually could they even begin to understand.