Author: Deepak Sharma/Ajmer
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: December 4, 2000
The story of the day
in Ajmer was not Union Home Minister L K Advani's visit to the Pushkar
temples. Rather, it was his surprise appearance at one of the holiest
of Muslim shrines --- the Dargah of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti.
Such was the enthusiasm
generated among the local population that inspite of the rigours of the
Ramzan fast, a huge number of Muslims thronged the Dargah on Sunday afternoon,
not only to offer prayers but also to see and hear what Mr Advani had to
say.
"Together we can make
this country great. Let us be good human beings first. It does
not matter if one believes in Ishwar or Allah," Mr Advani said in an emotional
speech on the occasion.
Reciprocating his feelings,
the principle Khadim of the Dargah, Syed Sarwar Chisti --- who incidentally
is a direct descendant of the Khwaja --- announced from the mike, "We welcome
Janab L K Advani's visit to this holy place. It is a sincere gesture
and, Inshallah, it will bring the two communities of the country together."
Syed Chisti further announced,
"Mr Advani's homage to Hazrat Khwaja's shrine has set a new tone.
We hope this step will prove earnest and sincere."
Later, when a local journalist
asked Mr Advani whether his visit to the darga was part of a larger image
changing exercise, the Home Minister replied, "My perceptions have always
been clear. What I have said 25 years ago, I still stick to."
Elaborating on these
"perceptions" later on, Mr Advani said, "I believe in equality. My
party's view is that all citizens are equal. We sternly believe in
Sarva Panth Sambhav. But under the impact of Marxism, the definition
of secularism has always tended to be distorted."
In his address, Mr Advani
expressed joy that after so many years, he had got an opportunity to visit
Ajmer.
"It's the city where
my cabinet colleague Jaswant Singh began his education in the prestigious
Mayo College. On Mr Singh's request, I accepted the offer to attend
the annual function of the college."
Asked why he chose to
visit the dargah, Mr Advani said, "Ajmer aaker mera farz tha ki itni pak
saaf jageh par aana."
Earlier on the day, he
offered prayers at a few historical temples encircling the Pushkar lake.
