Patna (Bihar): The row over Jharkhand assembly setting up the room for namaz snowballed into Bihar where a BJP MLA has demanded a separate room to recite Hanuman Chalisa at the state legislative assembly. The allocation of a separate room for the namaz at Jharkhand assembly premises has sparked controversy earlier. The BJP being the main opposition party has levelled serious charges against the assembly speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto and the state government for allegedly being biased towards a particular religion.
Former CM of Jharkhand Raghubar Das has written a letter to the speaker asking to withdraw the move within 48 hours or else he will sit on dharna at the assembly gate. Meanwhile, BJP MLA of Bihar Haribhushan Thakur Bachaul slammed the Hemant Soren government and demanded a separate room for the recital of the Hanuman Chalisa as well in Jharkhand.
“Such a move is unconstitutional. The country runs on lines of the constitution and people of all religions are equal. Giving a separate room for offering namaz is nothing but a politics of appeasement. This is completely a vote bank politics. If this happens then a separate room for the recital of Hanuman Chalisa must be given in the Jharkhand assembly as well as in the Bihar assembly. I am going to meet the Bihar speaker over this demand,” Bachaul said.
The ongoing assembly session of Jharkhand is marred with vehement protests as BJP lawmakers are protesting inside and outside the assembly premises. Another BJP MLA and Bihar's Road Construction department minister Nitin Nabin has slammed the Jharkhand government over the issue asking Soren's government to focus on the development of the state.
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“A space for worship and offering namaz is already fixed across the state in the form of temples and mosques. If such things would be allowed in the assembly premises, it will start a wrong tradition. For the sake of majority, the Hemant's government has started a wrong practice that's why our BJP MLAs in Jharkhand are protesting,” Nabin said.
Meanwhile, the RJD, the major opposition in Bihar, slammed BJP calling them fake devotees of Hanuman and Ram. The RJD leader said that they treat all religions equally and there is no need to make unnecessary noise over the issue.
“BJP is the same political party who used to make Ganesh ji drink milk. They only do politics over religion. To recite Hanuman Chalisa, do they need assembly premises or Red Fort? It's a matter of devotion and religion, these people are fake devotees of Lord Ram and Hanuman. They want to do politics of hatred, BJP wants to divide people over religion. They should better talk about unemployment, inflation, and flooding. If at all they are not getting the place to recite Hanuman Chalisa they should better contact me, I will provide them space,” RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwary asserted.
Political observers believe that the move of the Jharkhand government is nothing but the politics of appeasement. "It's called appeasement politics, which is completely wrong. Such demands cannot be made in an institution. It is against the very much essense of Rashtra Dharm (duty towards the nation). Neither Hindu nor Muslim is above the Rashtra Dharm," said Patna based political expert Dr Sanjay Kumar.
He further said, "When politics of Congress and other regional parties depends on appeasement the BJP does their politics based on religion to polarise the vote bank. So, this matter is just the reflection when both are trying to woo their respective vote banks in their own ways."
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