BJP leader Kapil Mishra is all set to participate in the Govardhan Puja organized by locals and Hindu organizations in Gurugram’s Sector 12A at former Namaz sites. The locals had risen in protest against members of Muslim community occupying public spaces every Friday to offer Namaz and thereby blocking roads.
The protest had led to the administration taking back their order of allowing Namaz in eight public places in the city.
Supporting the protest, Mishra said, “I have been approached by the Samiti members to attend the Govardhan puja. I shall be attending. This is a movement for citizens’ right for free roads and their demands are legitimate. No one has the right to block roads every week.”
“I support this movement. The protesting citizens of Gurgaon are showing the way to other citizens, who are bothered with blocking of roads but are not courageous enough to come out and demand their rights,” he added further while speaking with The Indian Express.
Reportedly, the Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti (organizers of the Govardhan Puja) had also extended an invite to Narsinghanand Saraswati, who was recently appointed the mahamandaleshwar of Juna Akhara. However, he will not be attending the puja due to prior commitments.
“We will continue our agitation”
State president of the Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, Mahavir Bhardwaj, while speaking of the event said, “We are making arrangements for the puja, which is expected to have a gathering of over 5000 people. After prayer, dhol and nagaras would be played at the site and prasad would be distributed.”
He further informed that a decision of replicating the event at different locations would be taken later. “We will continue our agitation to oppose namaz at all public places,” Bhardwaj asserted.
Clarifying its decision of conducting a Govardhan Puja, the Samiti had said, “This is our way to protest peacefully. In all, 37 public places are being used every week for ‘namaz’ against norms. This is not against Muslims, but public spaces should not be misused for religious congregation.”
However, responding to an agitation, a cleric had lamented, “We are no criminals and hence, won’t bow down. Get an official order to stop and we will.”
Locals protest against Namaz
Due to the disturbances caused by offering of Namaz at public places, huge protests had ensued at several locations in Gurugram where a large number of people including Hindu women came out on the road for five consecutive weeks, chanting bhajan-kirtan and slogans.
As many as 30 representatives of Hindu organizations who participated in the sector 12 A protests were detained.
