India should ban burqa too: Shiv Sena leader

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut clarified that he demanded a ban on burqa on grounds of national security and if any tradition of any religion hampered the national security, then it should be banned.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has welcomed the burqa ban in Sri Lanka after the recent terrorist attacks and has demanded the same in India on Wednesday.

"France, Canada, New Zealand and Australia have banned burqa for the sake of national security," said Sanjay Raut.

On being targeted by the Congress leaders, Sanjay clarified, "We respect all Muslim women and we are not calling them all terrorists. We are only talking about the misuse of burqa which is a threat to the national security."

"The issue is not about anyone's religion nor are we targeting any particular community," added Raut. He also said, "If any tradition of any religion hampers the national security then that too should be banned."

Earlier, in an article in Shiv Sena’s newspaper Saamana, the party demanded the government to follow the footsteps of Sri Lanka and ban the burqa in India.