Cong blames Centre for Jharkhand Sammed Shikharji row

New Delhi, Jan 5 After the protests by the Jain community against their religious shrine Sammed Shikharji in Jharkhand being listed as a tourist destination, the Congress has said that it is the Central government that turned it into a tourist destination.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Congress media Chairman Pawan Khera and former minister Pradeep Jain Aditya said, "The previous BJP government of Jharkhand and Modi government jointly declared Giridih, the 'Nirvana Bhoomi' (salvation site) of 20 Jain Tirthankaras and the most important pilgrimage centres of Jainism - 'Sammed Shikharji and Parasnath hill as Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) and decided to turn it into a tourist destination."

The Congress leaders alleged that the BJP wants to make the holy pilgrimage centres of Jainism like Sammed Shikharji, Palitana's Shatrunjaya hills, Mount Girnar as a medium to fill the state coffers!

"The Congress Party is committed to protect all religious places under the Constitution of India," Khera added.

He said, "Jainism, a 2,500-year-old religion, though small in population, has contributed immensely to the economic progress of India. It is said that the principles of the Jain community inspired Mahatma Gandhi's non-violence and Satyagraha. Today BJP-RSS has betrayed them and has deeply hurt their sentiments.

"People of Jain society from all over the country are agitated - in many cities, lakhs of people are undertaking peaceful agitations."

He clarified that declaring an Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) does not mean that the tourism sector cannot be developed there. It can be developed and BJP's illegal motives of building hotels, resorts, helipads, theme parks, tourist reception centres, etc. can be fructified.

"For the last three years, Jharkhand's UPA government of Congress-JMM has not taken any step on Parasnath hill and Shikharji which could hurt its sanctity or the sentiments of the Jain community, although policy-wise, the state government is bound by the Union government's decision," he added.

The members of the Jain community are protesting across the country against their religious shrine Sammed Shikharji in Jharkhand having been listed as a tourist destination. They fear it will hurt the place's sacredness.