BJP Politician Offers Free Loudspeakers to Maharashtra Hindus to Match Muslims' Prayer Call

On Saturday, Raj Thackeray, head of regional political party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), in the Indian state of Maharashtra, demanded that loudspeakers be removed from mosques. He warned the state government that if it failed to do this, his party workers would play ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ from their temples.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician Mohit Kamboj has offered to donate loudspeakers to Hindus and their temples to play 'Hanuman Chalisa', a devotional hymn dedicated to Lord Hanuman.

"Anyone who needs a loudspeaker to install in a temple can ask us for a free one! All Hindus should have one voice! Jai Shri Ram! Har Har Mahadev!” Indian media outlets on Tuesday quoted Kamboj as saying on Twitter in Hindi.

Kamboj is a billionaire bullion trader and is one of the richest politicians in the BJP.

The BJP and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have pressed for a ban on loudspeakers playing the Muslim call to prayer from mosques (Azaan).

Thackeray tabled the demand to ban loudspeakers in mosques at the Marathi spring-time New Year on 2 April – Gudi Padwa.

A day after Thackeray called for the ban, MNS workers in several parts of the state played the 'Hanuman Chalisa' from loudspeakers.

Sanjay Raut, a politician in Maharashtra's ruling party, Shiv Sena, attacked the BJP and MNS for making such a demand.

He said: “Raj Thackeray was talking about taking down the loudspeakers installed in mosques. First, have a look to see where in the all BJP-ruled states Azaan has been banned and loudspeakers removed from mosques... This is Maharashtra, where the law of the land is followed.”

Hindu Organisation Raises Similar Demand in Karnataka

A similar demand was raised in Karnataka by a Hindu organisation, Sri Ram Sena.

The chief of Sri Ram Sena, Pramod Muthalik, warned the government on Sunday to remove loudspeakers from mosques, adding that if it failed to do so, his organisation would play devotional songs every day at 5am (IST) to drown out the Azaan.

He said: “Hindu organisations have been saying that loudspeakers in mosques should be banned and the Supreme Court of India’s order on noise pollution be implemented. In this regard, Sri Ram Sena petitioned authorities but no one paid heed to it. The government has to instruct the mosque management not to use loudspeakers.”

“The Supreme Court’s order prohibits usage of loudspeakers between 10pm and 6am every day. It also says that loudspeakers should not be used in silent zones such as schools and hospitals. But the order is violated by mosque management,” he added.

Reacting to Muthalik's demands, Karnataka Minister KS Eshwarappa said: “A solution should be found to address the concerns over the use of loudspeakers in mosques in the state.”

“The demands by Raj Thackeray or Sri Ram Sena against the use of loudspeakers at mosques have to be met by taking the Muslim community into confidence. There have been complaints for a long time that the mosques' loudspeakers disturb students and patients in the morning and evening," he added.

The minister said it's not a competition "for us to play Hanuman Chalisa loudly on speakers to counter them".

"I have no objections to [Muslims] calling the faithful to prayer but because of the use of loudspeakers, if prayers are offered at temples and churches also in a similar way, it will lead to conflict between communities," he added.

On Tuesday, Karnataka state chief Basavaraj Bommai also weighed in, speaking about the use of loudspeakers for the Islamic call to prayer.

He said: "This is a high court order. It's not forced. Everything has to be done by talking to people."

The Karnataka state chief added: “It is not only for Azaan, it is for all loudspeakers. So, we will make a decision.”

Last year, the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf, a statutory body constituted under the Waqf Act 1995, also issued a circular to all the mosques and mausoleums in the state, prohibiting the use of loudspeakers between 10pm and 6am during Azaan.