Maharashtra Home Minister halts speech on hearing 'Azaan'

In a viral video, Walse can be seen stopping his speech on the dias as the Azaan is heard in the area. The minister is being hailed for the gesture, which comes on the heels of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray's threat of playing Hanuman Chalisa in front of mosques if loudspeakers were not shut down.

Mumbai: In a heartening gesture of communal harmony, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil halted his speech for ‘azaan’, the Islamic call to prayer.

In a viral video, Walse can be seen stopping his speech on the dais as the Azaan is heard in the area. The minister is being hailed for the gesture, which comes on the heels of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray's threat of playing Hanuman Chalisa in front of mosques if loudspeakers were not shut down.

"Why are loudspeakers in mosques played at such high volume? If this is not stopped, there will be speakers outside mosques playing Hanuman Chalisa at higher volume," Thackeray said at a Gudi Padwa rally at Shivaji Park, Mumbai. Following Thackeray's controversial statement, MNS leader Mahendra Bhanushali played Hanuman Chalisa on a loudspeaker after which he was briefly taken into custody by the police.