In Chhattisgarh, the Waqf Board has instructed its officials to spy on speakers addressing congregations before the weekly Friday prayer. As the chairman of the Waqf Board, Salim Raj ordered the mutawallis of mosques to get clearance for the contents of sermons to be delivered from the board itself. This has led to a political controversy at the national level; AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi condemned the action, saying it was a violation of Article 25 of the Constitution protecting the freedom of religion.
Owaisi made a post on social media platform X saying that the Chhattisgarh BJP government is intervening into religious affairs. He replied, “The Waqf Board is demanding that they should approve any sermon given before the Friday prayers. Have they frightened us again, and are we now required to seek their permission to follow our religion? However, to the contrary, this order transgresses Article 25 of the Constitution.:
The Chief Minister’s media advisor, Pankaj Kumar Jha, denied the allegations in response to criticism from Owaisi. He said that the board they are talking about is the Waqf Board, which is not a government body affiliated with an organization. He said most of the members of the Chhattisgarh Waqf Board were hired during the Congress regime and not by the BJP. This was done for purposes of upholding law and order, and as such, the board operates within its legal right.
Jha also ranted at Owaisi, saying, “The board does not need lessons on faith or religion from you. Chhattisgarh will not accept any raise to disturb the province in the south. And here, the constitution reigns supreme rather than religion. Those who have argued against Article 25 have no grounds to stand on.”
Pointing to the past events of disturbance, Jha said that speeches made from the mosques have sometimes resulted in social plans, loss of lives, and emblems. He said that it can only be assumed that the chairman of the Waqf Board, who is also a Muslim, will be aware of such requirements better than Owaisi.
Jha called on Owaisi to stop meddling in the Chhattisgarh administration, saying that law and order are the issues of prime concern in the state.
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