Politics over allotment of room for Namaz has gained pace now, with BJP cadres staging protests on streets over the JMM-Congress Government’s decision.
The Speaker on last Friday issued an order for allotment of a separate room where Namaz can be offered in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly. According to the order, signed by Deputy Secretary of the Legislative Assembly Naveen Kumar, room number TW-348 has been allotted as Namaz room. The monsoon session of Jharkhand Assembly commenced on Friday.
State BJP unit president Deepak Prakash protesting the Government decision said, “The State BJP will strongly protest the government appeasement policy. While on one hand the Government is yet to take any decision on opening up temples, the JMM/Congress government appeasing particular communities has allotted a room at Assembly for offering Namaz.”
Hundreds of BJP cadres protesting the decision on Sunday burnt the effigy of Chief Minister and Assembly speaker at busy Harmu road. The protest march was led by the BJP Mahanagar unit, headed by Mahanagar president KK Gupta, Vice President Varun Sahu among others.
Addressing the gathering at Harmu road, State BJP general secretary Aditya Sahu said, “By allotting room at Assembly for offering Namaz, State Government has carried forward the appeasement policy. The BJP will protest against this. The party will stage demonstrations at all district headquarters, staging gherao of the Assembly.”
Sahu, attacking the State Government, said that the Assembly is a temple of democracy, but the JMM/Congress government has tried to bring disrespect to it. He said that the present government is indulging in such politics as it has failed to meet people’s expectations.
The State BJP leadership has questioned the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led government in Jharkhand over an order for allotment of a room for offering namaz and demanding a similar allotment of rooms in the assembly building for people hailing from all other religions, including Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism and so on.
"The allotment of rooms for all religions would mean equal respect for all. When a special community can be allotted a room for prayers, others should also be allotted the same," he said.
Not only BJP, but even party sister organization Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) too has protested the State Government’s decision.
VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain said that no government has received the right to allot government premises for religious function. He said, “Jharkhand is not a Muslim state where Government has allotted room for offering Namaz.” Jain also said that Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) is Muslim majority state with large number of legislators coming from this community, but in J&K too there is no such provision.
He further said today the government has allotted room, tomorrow the government will allot government land or construction of Mosque. Sources said that the issue of allotment of room for Namaz is going to become a big issue. The Opposition BJP will take up the issue on Monday at the ongoing monsoon session.