Offering Namaz In Open Spaces Won't Be Tolerated, Says Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar

Haryana Chief Minister (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar has said that the practice of offering namaz in the open spaces will not be tolerated, reports Times of India.

“Ye namaz padhne ki prathayein jo khule mein hui hai, ye katayi bhi sahan nahi ki jayegi. Lekin isme se saath baith kar ke amicable solution nikala jayega (The custom of reading namaz in the open public spaces will not be tolerated but an amicable solution will be found through discussions),” CM Khattar was quoted in the report as saying.

Khattar was in Gurugram to chair a meeting of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority.

The Haryana CM said that the administration in Gurugram has been told that this issue needs to be resolved.

Khattar also referred to talks in 2018 after which a government committee had designated certain namaz sites and that some decisions were made in the past but have been retracted now.

“In their own space, someone reads the namaz, someone does paath, someone does puja, we have no problem with that. Religious places are made for this reason, so that people go there and do all these things, such programmes cannot happen in the open (public spaces),” said Khattar.

He asserted that no conflict will be permitted on this matter and said, "Nobody should interfere in anybody else’s rights, but nobody will be allowed to force their way".

It should be noted that protests are being organised by Hindu activists and local residents across the city every Friday for the last couple of months at designated open namaz sites.