Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 13: A senior BJP leader, a former deputy chief minister of Karnataka, has sparked off a controversy by raising a public question “If Allah is deaf.”
The former minister KS Eshwarappa made the comment while raising question what was the need for using loudspeakers for “azaan” to invoke Allah if he was not deaf. The remarks are likely to stoke again the azaan debate, which had reached the high court last year.
Eshwarappa was addressing the BJP’s ongoing Vijay Sankalpa Yatra on Sunday when azaan – the Islamic call for prayer – was heard in the background. On hearing it, the Shivamogga MLA said the azaan was a headache for him wherever he went. “There is a Supreme Court judge. Today or tomorrow, this (practice of calling azaan over mics) will definitely end,” Eshwarappa said, attracting cheers from party supporters at the rally.
“We also pray at temples. We chant shlokas and the women sing bhajans… In the entire world, the only country protecting dharma is Bharat Mata. But if they have to scream loudly through the mic, then we have to say he (Allah) is deaf. There is no need (for azaan). So, I opine that this issue should be addressed at the earliest,” he said. “Supreme Court’s judgment is due, if not today, this call for azaan will come to an end.”
The BJP leader then questioned if Allah will listen to prayers only if loudspeakers are used during azaan. “In temples, girls and women offer prayers and bhajans. We are religious, but we don’t use loudspeakers. If you have to call for prayers using loudspeakers, it means Allah is deaf,” he added.
Eshwarappa, who has also served as a deputy Chief Minister, is no stranger to controversies. He earlier sparked a row when he referred to 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan as a “Muslim gunda.” The senior leader had to step down as minister last year in the wake of a contractor’s suicide. Eshwarappa was named in the police case as the contractor had accused him of being “solely responsible” for his death in the final messages.
‘Azaan’ has been a subject of intense debate for long now, with a section arguing that use of loudspeakers for the call to prayer can be disturbing to people of other faiths.
The Supreme Court had in July 2005 banned the use of loudspeakers between 10 pm to 6 am except in the cases of public emergencies, citing health impacts of noise pollution. Later, in October 2005, the court said loudspeakers could be permitted to be used till midnight on festive occasions for 15 days a year.
Hearing a public interest litigation that claimed that contents of azaan hurt sentiments of those from other faiths, the Karnataka High Court last year had refused to issue any direction to mosques and held that tolerance is the characteristic of the Constitution. The court said that the contention that azaan violates the fundamental rights of those from other faiths cannot be accepted.
The minister has previously grabbed headlines for his communal and provocative statements. During the hijab row that rocked Karnataka, Eshwarappa – who was the rural development minister then – said the saffron flag would replace the Tricolour as India’s flag in the coming years.
In February last year, Eshwarappa had blamed ‘Muslim goons’ for the murder of a Hindu activist in his constituency. He also led a procession to perform the last rites of the activist and was accused of triggering riots in the process.
He was forced to step down as minister in April last year after Santosh Patil, a contractor, named the BJP leader in his suicide note. Patil had accused Eshwarappa of demanding 40 per cent commission to clear pending bills for works worth Rs 4 crore. A police investigation was carried out and the minister was given a clean chit in the case.
