Shafiqur Rahman Barq, a Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and member of parliament (MP) from the Sambhal Lok Sabha seat, has made yet another provocative statement. He asserted that India has never been and would never be a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ while emphasizing that Islam is the only true religion.
The MP was furious with Juna Akhara Mahamandaleshwar Yatindranand Giri’s declaration that India is a ‘Hindu Rashtra’.
Barq in response pronounced that nobody in India will ever agree to a ‘Hindu Rashtra’. He further advised Giri to read Quran and said that Giri has no right to discuss Islam if he hasn’t read the Quran and isn’t a Muslim. While commenting on Hindu saints, Barq said that saints have no business making pronouncements about Islam or issuing fatwas.
Barq declared, “Muslims in this country will not put up with the remarks expressed by the CM, as well as those of Dhirendra Krishna Shastri.”
He contended that Islam, which was founded by Allah, is the only true religion in the world and the rest are all cults formed later. Quran, as per the senior SP leader, “is a divine scripture, and it serves as an incentive for millions of individuals to flourish in life. This book cannot be changed.” He threatened, that anybody who attempts to do so will be subject to severe consequences.
Mahamandaleswar Yatindra Nand Giri of the Juna Akhara has responded to Barq’s remarks saying that people like Barq can only issue controversial statements and nothing else.
Meanwhile, Manoj Tiwari, BJP leader from Delhi, who was attending a Literary Festival in Khajuraho Hotel, proclaimed, “India is already fundamentally a Hindu Rashtra. There is no need to emphasize this viewpoint, even though it may be shared by many.” He added, that we adhere to and use the constitution as a guide.
Barq may be the latest, but he is by no means the first to make such problematic statements. Earlier, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind president Mahmood Asad Madani had declared India as the primary homeland of Muslims.
Maulana Arshad Madani, another senior Jamiat leader, had equated Om with Allah, while speaking at Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind’s recently concluded convention in Delhi, earning the ire of religious leaders of other faiths, who walked off the stage in protest.
