Muslim minister threatens quitting Uttaranchal govt to save Ganga

Varanasi, July 4 (UNI) Announcing that he was ready to quit to save the Ganga river, Uttaranchal Minister Maulana Masood Madani today said more than 50,000 Muslims will 'gherao' Parliament in two months time to save the sacred river from the clutches of the Tehri dam.

Talking to newspersons after attending the Rashtriya Ganga Mukti Sammelan here, Maulana Madani, also the national president of the Ganga Gai Himalaya Bachao Abhiyan Samiti claimed that 50,000 muslims under the Samiti banner will gherao parliament in two months time for ensuring protection of the Ganga, Cow and Himalayas cow and Himalayas.

All the three natural treasures were under threat due to a flourishing government- hexus mafia and the Samiti has taken the initiative of mobilising the Muslims to join their Hindu brethern over the issue.

Besides, staging a demonstration outside parliament, the Samiti will hold similar demonstrations in all state capitals to create awareness for launching a national movement on all the three fronts.

''We have already organised programmes in Lucknow, Ayodhya, Dehradun and Haryana in this regard and similar programmes will be held across the country,'' he maintained.

He further said that by ''tying'' the Ganga through the Tehri Dam and denuding the forest cover from the Himalayas, the government was inviting imminent natural disaster whose magnitude will be unimaginable.

''We will not let this happen and take whatever route needed to defeat the unholy nexus of government and mafia,'' he added.

Considering the protection of cow as the sacred duty of every Indian, Maulana Madani said that the Samiti is sensitising every Muslim in the country to leave the practice of cow slaughter to preserve the pluralistic character of India.

''Cow slaughter is permissible in the Shariat, but the same Shariat also directs Muslims to stay clear of those practices which are likely to hurt the sentiments of other communities,'' he added.

The Samiti has embarked on an ambitious initiative of donating 10 cows to every big madrasa and five to every medium or small seminary from its 'Gai Sadans'.

''A beginning has been made by donating cows to a madrasa in Bijnore district of West Uttar Pradesh and many more were eager to follow suit,'' he claimed.

UNI ARS YA RK2135