BENGALURU/DHARWAD: After the anti-halal meat drive, right-wing outfits led by Bajrang Dal and Sriram Sena have now called for a ban on loudspeakers in mosques.
Backing the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, they warned that they will play Bhajans at 5 AM as a protest against Azaan from loudspeakers at mosques.
Raj Thackeray on Saturday demanded that loudspeakers of mosques be 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,” he had warned while addressing a Gudi Padwa rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai.
In a video message, Sriram Sena convener Pramod Muthalik said the Hindu outfits have been demanding that the loudspeakers on mosques should be banned and the Supreme Court’s order on noise pollution implemented.
In this regard, the Sriram Sena had petitioned the authorities concerned but no one paid heed, he alleged.
The government has to instruct the mosque management not to use loudspeakers, Muthalik said.
He also said that the Supreme Court prohibited the usage of loudspeakers from 10 PM to 6 AM every day.
“The order also says that loudspeakers should not be used in the silent zones such as schools and hospitals but that order is being violated by the mosque management.
We will play Bhajan every morning if the loudspeakers from mosques are not removed,” Muthalik warned.
A day after MNS chief Raj Thackeray warned mosques not to use loudspeakers, his party workers played Hanuman Chalisa in front of its office in Kalyan town of Maharashtra’s Thane district on Sunday.
While addressing the Gudhi Padwa rally of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in Mumbai on Saturday, Thackeray had said, “Why loudspeakers in mosques are played at such high volume? If this is not stopped, there will be speakers outside mosques playing Hanuman Chalisa at higher volume.”
On Sunday, the local MNS workers assembled outside the party’s office at Sai Chowk in Kalyan and played Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers and chanted it loudly.
They also raised the slogan of ‘Jai Shri Ram.
Talking to the media about it, MNS’s Kalyan unit president Ulhas Bhoir said the party workers will never fail to abide by the order issued by the party chief.
Senior Karnataka Minister K S Eshwarappa on Monday said any solution to the issue can be found by taking the Muslim community into confidence, keeping the interests of students and patients in mind.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray last week demanded that loudspeakers of mosques be shut down.
“If this is not stopped, there will be speakers outside mosques playing Hanuman Chalisa at higher volume,” he had said in Mumbai.
Stating that it is not a competition to play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers to counter its use at mosques and that it may lead to conflict between communities, Eshwarappa advised Muslim leaders to see to it that speakers are limited to their places of worship and don’t disturb people living in surrounding areas.
“The attempts by Raj Thackeray or Sri Rama Sene against the use of loudspeakers at mosques have to be naturally done by taking the Muslim community into confidence. There have been complaints about a long time that it disturbs students and patients during morning and evening hours,” Eshwarappa said.
Speaking to reporters, he said the Muslim community have for long been following the tradition of using loudspeakers to call for prayer, but it is disturbing students, including their children and patients.
“This is not a competition for us to play Hanuman Chalisa loudly on speakers to counter them. I have no objections to you (Muslims) offering prayer, but because of your using loudspeakers, if prayers are offered at temples and churches also in a similar way, it will lead to conflict between communities,” he said, adding that in his opinion, it will be good if Muslim community leaders to think about it and use speakers within the mosques, in a way it doesn’t disturb others.
Source The Indian Express
