Surat : Hindus seek land on Moon as Rajhans (Desai-Jain) Group builds high-rise towers for Muslims

Surat : A contentious issue has emerged in the vibrant city of Surat, where over 2 lakh Hindus residing in approximately 200 residential societies around the historic Shree Gorat Hanumanji Dada temple in Rander have penned a letter to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel calling for arrangements to be made for them to live on the moon after the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission.

The reason being that the Rajhans (Desai-Jain Group), a renowned real estate company in Surat and few senior BJP leaders including a Gujarat Minister have teamed up with Muslim builders for constructing eight residential towers of 21-storey each at the huge chunk of land adjacent to Shree Gorat Hanumanji Dada Temple.

The residents allege that the Rajhans (Desai-Jain) Group, with owner Jayesh Desai enjoying close ties with senior BJP leadership, is constructing these towering apartments for the Muslim community in close proximity to the historic Shree Gorat Hanumanji Dada Temple and over 200 residential societies housed by the Hindus.

In response to these developments, over 150 residents from the Surat-Olpad Choriyasi Kadva Patidar Samaj and the Rander Road Jain Samaj have submitted a memorandum to the Surat District Collector under the banner of Rashtra Sena. They are demanding that the land in question be designated as ‘Khalsa Land’ (land belonging to the State) to prevent the Rajhans (Desai-Jain) Group from proceeding with the construction of 21-story residential towers for the Muslim community.

The land in question is adjacent to the revered Shree Gorat Hanumanji Dada temple, located in the lane of Satyam, Shivam Apartments, opposite Rander Road West Zone. Although there are more than 200 Hindu societies and apartments in the vicinity, these 21-story towers are being erected in the midst of this predominantly Hindu settlement. This has raised concerns among the Hindu residents, who fear that the construction will disrupt their way of life in the area.

The issue has ignited a debate about the rights and concerns of the local Hindu population and the development projects initiated by private real estate groups. The appeal to designate the land as ‘Khalsa Land’ has further fueled the controversy, highlighting the complex dynamics of land use and communal harmony in the region.

Vinod Jain, chairman of Rashtra Sena and a BJP worker said, “A Jain temple on the land in question was demolished by the builder for constructing residential apartments for Muslims”. “There are senior BJP leaders including a Gujarat Minister who are acting as the middlemen on behalf of Rajhans Group. All the residents in Rander will be sitting on dharna every day from 7 pm to 12 pm to mark our protest”