Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren is facing flak from BJP workers in the state who protested against the state's decision to allow a 'Namaz Hall' or prayer hall for offering Namaz in the Assembly building.
Effigies of Soren and Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto were burnt on by protesting BJP workers across the state. The protests took place after the speaker allotted room number TW 348 for offering Namaz, triggering demand from the BJP to build a Hanuman temple and places of worship of other religions within the Assembly premises.
"The BJP will gherao the Assembly and hold demonstrations in every district to protest the move. The House is the temple of democracy and the Hemant Soren government has insulted it by playing appeasement politics," BJP state chief and Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash said.
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"The state government must immediately revoke this unconstitutional and undemocratic decision or else people will hit the streets," BJP state general secretary Aditya Sahu said.
A notification dated September 2 and signed by Jharkhand Legislative Assembly Deputy Secretary Naveen Kumar by order of the speaker, which came to the public domain on September 4 said, "Allotment of room number TW 348 as Namaz Hall for offering Namaz in the new Assembly Building."
As soon as the notification came to the fore, the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress welcomed it.
"MLAs in the Hemant Soren government openly support the Taliban. A separate Namaz Hall in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly is a result of this ideology. Otherwise, any person who believes in Indian democracy would not do such an act," former chief minister and BJP national vice president Raghubar Das had told PTI.
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"The state government is tarnishing the dignity of constitutional institutions for appeasement and vote bank politics. This is not a good sign for Jharkhand. The BJP will agitate if the decision is not revoked. I will myself sit on a dharna outside the Assembly," he said.
BJP chief whip Viranchi Narayan has written a letter to the speaker warning of approaching the court if the decision is not revoked.
Congress MLA Irfan Ansari, who has courted controversy by allegedly supporting Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, charged that the BJP creates religious conflicts over every issue.
(With inputs from PTI)
