Hanuman Chalisa row: NCP leader seeks Home Minister’s nod to recite scriptures of every religion outside PM Narendra Modi's residence

New Delhi: A senior functionary of Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday (April 25, 2022), in a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah, sought his permission to read holy scriptures of every religion, Hanuman Chalisa and Namaz, in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence.

Fahmida Hassan Khan has hit out at the BJP over the Hanuman Chalisa row and has urged the home minister to allow her to read the Hanuman Chalisa and Namaz outside PM’s New Delhi residence. 

The stinging letter is an obvious reprisal for a similar threat by an MP-MLA couple in Maharashtra for Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

In the letter, NCP’s North Mumbai district working president said she wanted to read the Namaz, Hanuman Chalisa, Durga Chalisa, Namokar Mantra and more outside PM Modi's official residence at Delhi's Lok Kalyan Marg.

Take a look at the letter here: 

"But the way inflation and unemployment are increasing in the country, it has become necessary to wake up the Prime Minister of the country, Narendra Modi... if Ravi Rana and Navneet Rana can enjoy the benefit of reading Hanuman Chalisa outside Matoshree [Uddhav Thackeray's residence], we should be allowed to go to PM Modi's residence in Delhi to offer Namaz, Hanuman Chalisa and Durga Chalisa," she said in her letter. 

The NCP leader also stated that she recites the Hanuman Chalisa and does Durga Puja at her home.

The development comes after a Mumbai court had sent independent MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana to 14-day judicial custody on Sunday after the couple were arrested in connection with their announcement to recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside Mr Thackeray's residence.

Reacting to this, the BJP MLA from Mulund Assembly constituency Mihir Kotecha said that the NCP leader has the right to ask for permission and can recite religious prayers. He further said, "There is no politics over (reciting of) Hanuman Chalisa. It is a matter of one`s devotion."

The BJP MLA from the Ghatkopar east Assembly seat Parag Shah said, "Whoever wants to offer Namaz or recite Hanuman Chalisa can do so. India`s culture does not stop anyone from following their religion. But it should not be followed for a show but instead one can do whatever they desire at home."

(With agency inputs)

Live TV