VHP backs Yogi, says namaz on road meant to intimidate Hindus

Lucknow: Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Tuesday endorsed chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s stance not to allow namaz on public roads.“Offering namaz in public places is a show of strength to intimidate Hindus,” VHP international president Alok Kumar told TOI.He said roads and public places are meant for traffic and public and cannot be obstructed to cause inconvenience to the people,” he said.VHP’s positioning is seen as significant since the organisation is part of the Sangh Parivar ecosystem and often articulates ideological positions that resonate with sections of BJP’s core support base. Political observers said that by describing roadside namaz as a “show of strength,” VHP is trying to link the issue with identity politics and demographic tensions.The hard stance of Yogi and VHP follows days after the newly-elected BJP govt in West Bengal banned namaz on the roads. The ban even triggered unrest in Kolkata’s Rajabazaar where police had to stop Muslims from offering namaz on the road.Kumar clarified that the practice cannot be equated with the Kanwar yatra, India’s largest annual religious pilgrimage undertaken by devotees of Lord Shiv to perform `Jalabhishek’.He said the yatra is carried out with the permission of administration and govt. “Moreover, Kanwars are always on the move. They do not hinder traffic or cause inconvenience to the people,” the VHP chief said, asserting that the district authorities take steps in case the yatra causes any problem.