Mumbai: A leader from Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has hit out at the BJP, shooting off a stinging letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking permission to read the Hanuman Chalisa and Namaz outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence. The stunt was an obvious reprisal for a similar threat by an MP-MLA couple in Maharashtra for Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over the weekend.
The letter comes a day after the arrest of MP-MLA couple from Maharashtra, who in a similar manner had threatened to chant Hanuman Chalisa outside CM Thackeray’ residence.
In her letter, Fahmida Hassan Khan said she wants to recite Hanuman Chalisa, Durga Chalisa, Namokar Mantra, Namaz and more outside PM Modi’s official residence at Delhi’s Lok Kalyan Marg.“I have asked Amit Shah for permission to chant prayers of every religion in front of PM Modi’s residence,” Khan, who is also Mumbai north district working president, said.
Admitting that her proposal was aimed at countering the distraction from important issues, Ms Khan said, “It can’t go on like this. No one is talking about the real issues. Prices are increasing, unemployment is rising, the GDP growth is slowing. These stunts are done by the central government to divert the attention of the people.”
The politician couple from Maharashtra was arrested on Sunday by the Mumbai police for allegedly “creating enmity between different groups”. They were sent into judicial remand, rejecting the city police’s demand for their custody, an official quoted.