Hijab, halal meat, Muslim traders and now the Azaan - Karnataka's ruling BJP identified the state's latest affliction on Tuesday with senior party leader and Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa importing the debate over the Islamic prayer call from neighbouring Maharashtra with express shipping.
"I have been hearing that Azaan through loudspeakers disturbs students. The community has for long followed the tradition of calling for prayers using loudspeakers, and this is an issue even for their own children's studies," Mr Eshwarappa told reporters in Karwar.
"This is my view on banning loudspeakers. This isn't a competition between Muslims calling for prayers through loudspeakers and Hindus chanting Hanuman Chalisa. And because of the Azaan, it is an issue for students, patients and the elderly," he said.
His comment was met with opposition from Congress leader Priyank Kharge who said, "Let all BJP and Bajrang Dal workers stop using petrol and diesel since it's imported from Islamic countries. Show your real Hindutva here. There are Pollution Control Board norms and Supreme Court orders on loudspeakers, let them implement them. It talks about what to do with temples, mosques and churches."
The controversy over the Azaan flared in Maharashtra this weekend, just ahead of the elections for India's richest municipal body - the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or BMC - with the BJP and Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) raising the issue to target the ruling Shiv Sena.
MNS leaders in several parts of Maharashtra have taken to playing the Hanuman Chalisa from loudspeakers after a call-to-arms by Raj Thackeray at a rally in Mumbai on the occasion of the Marathi New Year festival Gudi Padwa.
A BJP leader in the state even offered to bankroll loudspeakers to play the Hanuman Chalisa in public places.
BJP-ruled Karnataka, home to IT and startup hub Bengaluru, meanwhile, has been increasingly in the news lately for growing right-wing religious activism that the opposition says has targeted Muslims for everything from what they wear, eat and where they trade.
Probe Agency Questions Siddaramaiah's Brother-in-Law In Mysuru Land Scam 2 Women Try To Save Friend From Drowning In Swimming Pool, All Of Them Die On Camera, Congress Leader's Son Runs Over Biker With Thar SUV In Karnataka Ashneer Grover's LinkedIn Post After Salman Khan Schools Him On Bigg Boss What Canada Police Said On Indian-Origin Woman's Death Inside Walmart Oven Tech Millionaire Bryan Johnson's Anti-Ageing Experiment Takes A Painful Turn Once Worth $30 Billion, Archegos Founder Says He's Just a Millionaire Now CBSE Boards 2025: Board Will Not Release List Of Toppers Here's Everything Sunita Williams And Butch Wilmore Are Eating On The International Space Station Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.