VHP alleges namaz on roads unconstitutional, meant to intimidate administration, Hindus

The VHP on Wednesday demanded a strict ban on offering namaz on roads, alleging that it is not a religious practice but a ''show of strength'' aimed at intimidating Hindu society and the administration.

In a statement, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) joint general secretary Surendra Jain said, ''Namaz on roads is not prayer but a disturbance. It is not only against the Constitution but also against humanity and Islam.''.

He claimed that several courts have ordered a ban on offering namaz on roads and that the Supreme Court has also indicated disapproval of the practice.

''Despite this, the insistence on offering namaz on roads is unconstitutional and amounts to contempt of court,'' he claimed, adding that the organisation welcomes state governments and administrations that impose restrictions on the practice.

The RSS affiliate also welcomed the action taken by the governments in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal against offering namaz on roads, saying that streets are meant for movement and public convenience.

Jain alleged that prayers on railway tracks in Delhi disrupt train services for hours, while offering namaz on roads in Gurugram leads to traffic jams lasting up to eight hours.

''They say they only want to offer namaz for five minutes. But whom are they trying to fool? When namaz used to be offered on the Jaipur highway passing through Gurugram, traffic jams lasted for hours.

''School buses get stuck in the jams, children suffer and even ambulances carrying patients are trapped, putting lives at risk. Yet no namazi's heart melted,'' he alleged.

He claimed that many Muslim countries have also imposed restrictions on the practice.

''Countries such as Iran have also banned it. No civilised country can permit namaz on roads,'' he added.

Questioning the argument that people offer prayers on roads due to a lack of space in mosques, he alleged that during earlier controversies in Gurugram, people and prayer mats were brought from places nearly 40 kilometres away even though several mosques on the route remained empty.

''It is argued that there is no space in mosques. But during the Gurugram protests, when namaz was being offered at 38 locations on roads, journalists showed that prayer mats and people were being brought from 40 kilometres away. They did not notice the dozens of mosques on the way that were lying empty,'' he alleged.

''This is merely an attempt to mislead people. In reality, it is a show of strength meant to intimidate the administration and Hindu society,'' he alleged.

Jain further insisted that offering namaz on roads must not be compared with the Kanwar Yatra or other Hindu festivals, which are held once a year with prior permission from the administration.

''Objections are raised against the Kanwar Yatra or our festivals, which take place once a year, where people carry the tricolour, inform the administration in advance and the administration makes arrangements, just as it does for Haj pilgrims,'' he said.

The VHP appealed to all state governments to strictly prohibit offering namaz on roads and ensure compliance with judicial directions and the Constitution.

It also urged Muslim clerics to encourage people to follow the law instead of, what it called, ''pushing them towards another path of terrorism''.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)