A Telangana Congress leader’s campaign to open the iconic Charminar for Muslims to offer prayers has sparked a fresh controversy amid legal proceedings over the temple-mosque disputes in the country. Rashid Khan, a local Congress leader, said that Muslims earlier held prayers at the 16th-century monument but were debarred from doing it two decades ago, reported news agency ANI.
Khan has started a signature campaign for the same and requested the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the ministry of tourism and culture to open it for offering prayers.
“When we spoke to the ministry of culture, Kishan Reddy said there will be a law and order problem. I will take all the signatures and go to the secular CM of Telangana. If our requests are not addressed, we will do a sit-in protest at the Pragati Bhavan. Wrong promises are being made across the country on mosques,” he said, as quoted by ANI.
Khan also highlighted the presence of a Bhagya Lakshmi temple near Charminar and called it an “unauthorised encroached illegal construction”, citing an ASI report. Khan said if prayers are happening in the temple, the mosque inside the ASI-protected monument should also be opened for Muslims to offer Namaaz.
“We believe in Ganga Jamuna tehzeeb. If prayers are happening in the temple, let it happen, but in the same way, our mosque is closed and it should be opened and we should be given permission for the Namaaz,” he added.
Khan demanded the temple be shut down “if ASI is closing the mosque”, reported ANI.
“Earlier in the Charminar, people used to hold prayer but since a person died by suicide at the Charminar site, it was stopped,” ANI quoted one Maulana Ali Quadri as saying.
BJP’s former MLC Ram Chander Rao said that Congress is trying to “create communal tension in Hyderabad” by connecting the two issues.
