BJP demanded immediate arrangements be made for earmaking worship halls for other religions (File)
The BJP has demanded that a Hanuman temple in the Jharkhand Assembly premises be built and worship halls be earmarked for people of other religious denominations after Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto ordered that a hall in the complex be allotted as "namaz hall".
A notification dated September 2 and signed by the Jharkhand legislative assembly deputy secretary Naveen Kumar by order of the speaker, which came to the public domain on September 4 said, "Allotment of room number TW 348 as Namaz Hall for offering Namaz in the new Assembly Building."
As soon as the notification came to the fore, the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress welcomed it and the main opposition BJP strongly opposed it.
The party demanded that the speaker should immediately get a grand Hanuman temple built in the assembly premises where devotees can recite the Hanuman Chalisa.
It also demanded that immediate arrangements should be made for earmaking worship halls for people of otther religions.
"This is an unconstitutional step and if the Speaker of the Assembly had to take it then he should build a grand Hanuman temple in the Assembly premises for Hindus. Worship halls must be earmarked for people of other religioms. The temple of democracy should remain so," said Babulal Marandi, the leader of BJP in the house and Viranchi Narayan, chief whip of BJP legislative party.
Narayan wrote to the speaker on Saturday demanding that the he withdraw his order as he is "expected to protect constitutional values."
BJP leader Raghubar Das told PTI that BJP will launch an agitation if the speaker's decision of allotment of a separate namaz hall is not withdrawn.
If the speaker's order is not withdrawn he will sit on hunger strike before the Assembly gates, Das who is a former Jharkhand chief minister and BJP national vice-president, said.
"The MLAs in the Hemant Soren government openly support the Taliban. A separate room for namaz in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly is the result of this ideology. Otherwise any person who believes in democracy will not commit such an act.
"The Hemant Soren government is also tarnishing the dignity of constitutional institutions for appeasement and vote bank politics. This is not a good sign for Jharkhand," he added.
BJP leader CP Singh said, "The speaker should immediately get a grand Hanuman temple constructed in the assembly premises so that Hindu devotees can recite Hanuman Chalisa there."
Mr Narayan said in his letter to the Speaker, "You cancel your order of September 2 and take the trouble of withdrawing this unconstitutional, unparliamentary and irreligious order of Muslim appeasement while protecting the constitutional values, standards."
The letter said, "If you are unable to set aside this order due to any pressure or appeasement, then I will be compelled to approach the court in this matter."
Mr Marandi said, "The temple of democracy should remain the temple of democracy. We are against any such order."
Earlier, the ruling Congress and JMM issued a statement welcoming the Speaker's move,.
Congress MLA Irfan Ansari, who welcomed the Taliban occupation of Afghanistan in the Assembly on Friday, said, "BJP has a habit of doing politics of religion. It just keeps on talking nonsense".
JMM general secretary Divya Kumar welcoming the speaker's decision said earlier too such an arrangement was made in Bihar assembly. "There is nothing new in alloting a namaz hall in the Jharkhand House Assembly," he added.