Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dared to summon Haribhushan Thakur and reprimand him for his controversial remarks
Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI — The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders appear to be cashing in on the coincidence of the Hindu festival of Holi falling on a Friday when Muslims offer the obligatory weekly congregational prayers in large numbers. The two occasions occurring simultaneously have provided a perfect opportunity for the Saffron party leaders to further polarise the society with their illogical, provocative and Islamophobic statements.
The occasion also fits well for them to berate Muslims, their customs and traditions and religious beliefs ahead of the state assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
Earlier, the issue was raised in Uttar Pradesh by the Circle Officer of Sambhal who advised Muslims to remain indoors on the Holi day on Friday. The police officer’s communal rhetoric duly got the support of the state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Now, the issue is being raised in Bihar.
The BJP legislator from Bihar’s Bisti, Haribhushan Thakur, on Monday asked members of the minority community to remain indoors if they have issues with the Holi celebrations.
“Holi falls on Friday this time and coincides with one of the Jummas of Ramadan. I appeal to them to stay indoors during Holi and let us celebrate it without disruption. There are 52 Fridays in a year, they (Muslims) can avoid coming out on Holi,” Thakur told reporters in Patna.
Thakur echoed what the Sambhal cop Anuj Kumar Chowdhury said. The police official said there are 52 Fridays in a year while Holi is celebrated only once. As such, he said, Muslims should not come out of their homes to offer prayers on Friday.
Ahead of the polls, the political temperature aimed at polarisation runs high in both these states. Bihar is believed to be going to polls at the year-end while Uttar Pradesh could hold the elections a few months later.
In Bihar, the issue was raised by a BJP legislator while in Uttar Pradesh, it’s the chief minister himself who has emphasised the issue. Adityanath went on to say that going to the mosque for namaz was not necessary.
“Prayers are offered every Friday, but Holi comes only once a year. The namaz can be delayed, and if anyone is willing to offer Friday prayers on time (normal time of 1.30 pm), they can do so while remaining in their house. Going to the mosque for the namaz is not mandatory,” he said.
In Bihar, Thakur also called on Muslims not to “take offence” if colour is applied to them in case they step out on Holi.
“On one hand, they make money by selling abir and gulal, but they want to stay away from colour being thrown at them on Holi. It is essential to respect each other’s religion and religious practices to maintain communal harmony,” he said.
However, the leader of the opposition in Bihar and Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav has come down heavily on Thakur asking whether the state was his father’s fiefdom.
“The way BJP MLA Bachaul (Thakur is called ‘Bachaul) remarked that Muslims should not step out during the Holi celebrations. Is there a rule of Bachaul and his father here? Who is this Bachual. How can he make such statements,” asked Yadav.
He dared Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to summon Thakur and reprimand him for his controversial remarks. “Where is the chief minister? Is he unconscious? Janta Dal United (JDU) has adopted the colour of the BJP and Sangh groups,” he said.
Emphasising the syncretic culture of India, Yadav stated that Muslims will be protected in Bihar. He vowed that his party will never allow the BJP and its affiliates to carry out communal riots in Bihar till there are supporters of Lalu Yadav’s ideology.
“Whether we are in power or not, we will not allow them to succeed in their agenda till there are adherents of Lalu Yadav’s ideology and the constitution. We will teach them a lesson,” he said.
The statements made by BJP leaders about Friday prayers suggest that the religious practices of Muslims or their freedom to practice their religion do not hold any value in their eyes. Despite occupying constitutional positions, the BJP leaders’ remarks raise questions over their commitment to implementing statutory values. The constitution does not have any provision which gives supremacy to the religion of one community over the other. The BJP and its cohorts are seen to be giving two hoots to the secular and democratic ethos of the country.
