NEW DELHI : After PM Narendra Modi penned a tribute to Somnath temple and described it as a symbol of India’s civilisational resilience and its indomitable spirit, BJP said Monday its destruction by Mahmud of Ghazni 1,000 years back was driven by religious fanaticism and blamed Jawaharlal Nehru and “leftist” historians of portraying the Muslim invader as a mere plunderer.At a presser, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi framed US President Donald Trump’s claim post-Op Sindoor that India and Pakistan had been fighting for 1,000 years against the backdrop of Ghazni’s plundering expeditions to India.“Trump had also said that the conflict between India and Pakistan is 1,000 years old and that Kashmir is linked to that. It’s indeed a 1,000-yearold fight. Pakistan’s missiles are named after Ghazni, Babar and Ghori,” he said.Modi will join the “Somnath Swabhiman Parv” on Jan 11 to celebrate the resilience of the Indian civilisation, lauding its spirit that led to its rebuilding, last time after independence, after being vandalised and looted repeatedly by invaders.Spiritual figures praised Modi for spreading awareness about the Shiva temple, one of the 12 jyotirlingas dedicated to the god, and the programme. It is a centre of the country’s faith, preacher Morari Bapu said, adding joining the endeavour is essential to ensure that the temple does not suffer any attack in future. Swami Avdheshanand of Juna Akhara praised the write-up, saying the temple stands as an ode to Indian civilisation.Attacking past historians, Trivedi said Nehru’s book ‘Discovery of India’ was a source of historical distortions. Nehru had described Mahmoud of Ghazni as far more a warrior than a man of faith who exploited the name of religion for his conquest to earn treasures and materials, He cited work of a historian to claim the invader was very much motivated by religious fanaticism in his destruction of the temple as he wanted to be known as a “but-shikan” (idol-breaker).
