New Delhi: A Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader from Mumbai wants to “chant prayers of every religion” in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s house if it reduces “inflation, unemployment and starvation”.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s colleague Fahmida Hasan Khan has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking permission to read the namaz, the hanuman chalisa, Jainism prayers navkar mantra, Guru Granth Sahib recitations and Christian prayers novena in front of Modi’s home.
I've asked HM Amit Shah for permission to chant prayers of every religion in front of PM Modi's residence. If Hindutva, Jainism elevates for country's benefit to reduce inflation, unemployment, starvation,I'd like to do it:NCP Mumbai north district working pres Fahmida Hasan Khan pic.twitter.com/QN4rtOheiJ
— ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2022
Khan’s petition comes after an independent MP-MLA couple were arrested in Mumbai Saturday when they gave a call to chant the hanuman chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s private home ‘Matoshree’ which elicited angry protests by Shiv Sainiks.
Khan’s NCP is an ally of the ruling coalition headed by Thackeray.
The Ranas from Amravati are followers of yoga guru Ramdev, according to reports, and run the Yuva Swabhiman Party.
The couple – slapped with a sedition charge – were remanded to fourteen-day custody on Sunday and are being kept in separate Maharashtra jails.
They have also been charged with Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, and sections 37(1) and 135 of the Bombay Police Act.
A raging controversy on religious chanting continues in the state after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray gave an ultimatum to the government to remove loudspeakers from all mosques by May 3.
The ruling Maha Vikas Agadhi has called an all-party meet Monday to resolve the loudspeaker issue.
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