'If namaz on road wrong, ban all festival celebrations': Owaisi points at 'double standard'

NEW DELHI: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday said that if offering namaz on roads is considered wrong, then restrictions should apply equally to religious activities of all faiths, citing Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion and the right to freely practise and profess one's faith.Addressing an Eid Milap event, Owaisi argued that public objections to namaz amounted to a double standard and questioned why similar concerns were not raised over religious processions and gatherings organised by other communities."Remember Article 25. If offering prayers on the road is wrong, then it is wrong for every religion's festival to come out onto the road. If you say meat shops should be closed during someone's festival, then close liquor shops for the 30 days of Ramadan. Close liquor shops for 30 days," Owaisi said.Alleging a double standard, Owaisi said people have no objection to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speeches but object to Azaan and Namaz. He also questioned restrictions imposed during Hindu festivals on the sale of eggs, meat and chicken, asking 'what kind of law is this?'"Your hatred is solely for Muslims. And your hatred clearly shows that you want to suppress the followers of this religion and marginalise them. You want to make them second-class citizens," he said.The AIMIM president alleged that issues relating to azaan and namaz were deliberately raised whenever major Muslim festivals such as Ramzan or Bakrid approached."Problems with the Azaan, problems with Namaz. After all, what has happened to you people?" he asked.The remarks come amid an ongoing political debate over prayers in public spaces and recent directives by authorities in several states aimed at ensuring that religious gatherings do not disrupt traffic or public movement.Recently, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said namaz should be offered in a regulated manner and, if required, could be conducted in multiple shifts to avoid inconvenience to the public. He said authorities would first seek compliance through persuasion before taking further steps to enforce public order norms.Suvendu Adhikari led West Bengal government decided not to allow the traditional Eid congregation on Kolkata's Red Road and shifted the gathering to Brigade Parade Grounds to prevent prayers from spilling onto public roads.Continuing his criticism, Owaisi drew comparisons with religious yatras and processions, saying roads are frequently occupied during such events without attracting similar objections.On namaz being offered on roads, he said that it happens only for Friday prayers or Eid and not every day. "In India, festivals of every religion take place on the road, don't they? You don't see those; you go blind to them," he said.(with inputs from ANI)