When the prayers stopped, the Prime Minister resumed his speech
Highlights
- Prime Minister was addressing workers at BJP's new headquarters in Delhi
- PM Modi stayed silent for around two minutes while the Azaan was on
- He resumed his speech after shouting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai"
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paused his speech on the BJP's northeast triumph for
Azaan or prayers from a mosque near the party's new headquarters in Delhi.
PM Modi stayed silent for around two minutes as the sounds of
Azaan rang out in the middle of his speech on the party's spectacular performance in Tripura. BJP president Amit Shah had just finished speaking and the Prime Minister had spoken for one minute when the prayers began.
When the prayers stopped, the Prime Minister resumed his speech after shouting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai", which was echoed by scores of BJP workers gathered at the office.
This is not the first time PM Modi has stopped his speech for
Azaan.
In November, he paused his speech while campaigning in Gujarat.
The year before, he had stopped while speaking at a rally in West Bengal. "I do not want to interrupt anyone's prayers. So I decided to take a brief rest," he said as he resumed his address.
Azaan is the Muslim call to worship and it is called out by clerics at mosques five times a day.
Though it is usually held in the morning, the
Maghrib azaan is performed in the evening.
Later in his speech, PM Modi called for a moment's silence for BJP workers he said had been killed in Tripura, Kerala and other states. "Many workers of the BJP have sacrificed their lives.
For their political ideologies, many innocent volunteers have been killed. Fear and misconceptions - these weapons have been used by Left parties with Maoist views," said the Prime Minister.