Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, April 30
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday rejected the demands of BJP ministers and MLAs seeking ban on loudspeakers in the mosques.
Talking to mediapersons after attending an Iftar party here, Chief Minister said it was a non-issue in Bihar. According to Nitish such demands are nonsense and have no relevance in the state.
Nitish said he was not in agreement with the suggestion of his BJP ministers who are demanding withdrawal of loudspeakers from the mosques. When asked, some states have already pulled down loudspeakers and dropped the noise level during religious preaching, Nitish said, “it is irrelevant in Bihar.”
Former Chief Minister Jeetan Ram Manjhi,whose party HAM is a partner in NDA said” politics of ghari ghant( bells sounds from the temples” ) should not be applied,no one should try to hurt the religious sentiments.
Principal spokesman of JDU and MLC, Neeraj Kumar, in a statement today said, “demand for ban on loudspeakers on mosques has come during Ramjan festival, this shows people with dirty minds were playing politics only.
Neeraj said there was pollution in the minds of those demanding ban on loudspeakers on mosques and they were not concerned with noise pollution. JDU leader said loudspeakers were being used in the temples and mutts in the wee hours during Aarti and early morning prayers too.
Industries Minister Shahnawaj Hussain reacted to the demand of his party colleagues by saying, “Aajan and Bhajan were being performed even without loudspeakers. Was loudspeaker used during the period of Ram and Krishna?
Janak Ram, Mines minister who is from BJP on Friday had demanded total ban on loudspeakers from the mosques and recommended they should be withdrawn.
Ram regretted Muslims were allowed to perform their namaj even on busy roads and streets,there was no restriction on the noise pollution coming out of the mosques.
BJP MLA Harikrishna Thakur too demanded ban on loudspeakers for religious preaching and said Muslims were allowed to have their Friday namaj on the campus of LN Mithila University at Darbhanga. He was supported by BJP MLA from Darbhanga Sanjay Sarogi, who regretted misuse of university campus for religious discourse.
Meanwhile, management of the Takhat Harmandir Saheb, birth place of Guru Gobind Singh Ji here, has lowered down the loudspeakers volume. Jathedar Ranjit Singh voluntarily lowered down the loudspeakers volume in honour of the restrictions ordered by the Supreme Court. Management is concerned over noise pollution, hence the volume has been lowered down, Jathedar said.
