A senior functionary of the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah seeking his permission to read holy scriptures of every religion in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s New Delhi residence.
In her letter, Fahmida Hassan Khan, the NCP’s North Mumbai district working president, said she wished to chant the Namaz, Hanuman Chalisa, Namokar Mantra (Jain chant), Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh scripture) and others outside the PM residence at Lok Kalyan Marg in the national capital. Khan urged the home minister to give her a specific date and time when she could fulfil her wish.
The NCP leader said if her act of reading holy scriptures would help the country through reduced inflation, unemployment and starvation, she would like to go ahead with the same.
“I’ve asked the home minister for permission to chant prayers of every religion in front of PM Modi’s residence. If Hindutva, Jainism elevate the country to reduce inflation, unemployment, starvation, I’d like to do it,” Khan was quoted as saying by news agency.
Khan’s appeal came in the wake of a call given by independent MP Navneet Rana and her husband for the chanting of Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s private residence ‘Matoshree’ in Mumbai.
The couple were arrested soon after with the MP being sent to Byculla women’s jail, while her husband was taken to Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai.
The Amravati MP and her husband have moved the Bombay high court seeking cancellation of FIRs filed against them. The Mumbai Police has also slapped sedition charges on the couple.