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Jharkhand namaaz hall row: BJP MLA demands room to chant Hanuman Chalisa
"If a room is allocated (in the Jharkhand assembly) to offer namaaz in the secular country, why shouldn't there be room to chant 'Hanuman Chalisa'? '' he asked according to the report.
Member of the legislative assembly from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Hari Bhushan Thakur on Tuesday demanded a room to chant Hanuman Chalisa, after the Jharkhand government alloted a room to offer namaaz in the state assembly. In a report by the news agency ANI, Thakur said he will also meet the Bihar assembly speaker to press for his demand. "All sections of society are equal before the Constitution,'' he said while raising his demand for a separate room to chant Hanuman Chalisa, as per ANI report.
"If a room is allocated (in the Jharkhand assembly) to offer namaaz in the secular country, why shouldn't there be room to chant 'Hanuman Chalisa'? '' he asked according to the report.
On September 2 , the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand issued an order for the allotment of "namaaz hall" in the assembly premises. The order, which became public two days later has now snowballed into a controversy, prompted demand from the BJP to build a Hanuman temple and places of worship of other religions in the assembly premises. The speaker Ravindra Nath Mahto has allotted room number TW 348 for offering namaaz.
The leaders also created a ruckus in the Jharkhand assembly on Monday as they constantly disrupted the proceedings by raising slogans. Some BJP leaders also trooped into the well of the assembly and shouted: "Jai Shri Ram" (Glory to Lord Rama). Some also sat on the stairs at the entrance of the assembly chanting Hanuman Chalisa and 'Hare Rama' with placards.
The agitation was criticised by Soren saying, "this kind of mentality is a barrier to the state's development," while speaking to reporters.
The opposition leaders are demanding withdrawal of the order pertaining to the allotment of the namaaz room.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the BJP workers burnt the effigies of chief minister Hemant Soren and the speaker during protests across the state against the decision.
