By The Wire Staff
New Delhi: Oppositions parties slammed the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) for asking organisers in Maharashtra to restrict the entry of Muslims at garba and dandiya events during the Navratra festival. The VHP reportedly issued guidelines asking organisers to verify identity of participants by checking Aadhaar cards and applying tilak on their foreheads to confirm their Hindu identity.
“Festivals bring harmony to society. In India, there is a tradition of people from other religions participating in each other’s festivals. People from other communities happily participate in Eid and Ramadan celebrations. However, the VHP and Bajrang Dal are deliberately targeting Muslims,” said Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Rais Shaikh, calling the move “unconstitutional fatwa”.
The Bhiwandi East MLA asked the Maharashtra government to clarify its official stand on the issue and bar fringe groups from enforcing illegal bans.
“This is cultural policing by the VHP and Bajrang Dal. The VHP’s fatwa banning Muslims is against the Indian constitution. The state government should take note of this directive because such extremist positions could potentially create a law-and-order situation,” Shaikh said.
Similarly, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) spokesperson Clyde Crasto asked if Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government would take any action against the VHP.
“The question is, what is the BJP government in the state going to do about this? Are they going to be mute and allow the VHP to govern law and order in the state? They should prove to the people of Maharashtra that nobody is above the law of the land,” Crasto said.
Congress MLA Amin Patel also mentioned that the VHP’s call banning Muslims in these events is “unconstitutional”.
“Festivals encourage communal harmony. We are often invited for dandiya and Navratri events out of goodwill. We also call members of other communities for Eid and Ramzan,” Patel was quoted as saying by India Today.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut criticised the VHP and even demanded Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat to “issue a statement” in light of his recent speech on Muslims in New York.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
