Jharkhand namaz room in assembly controversy: BJP workers burn effigies of CM Hemant Soren

Ranchi, Sep 10: Accusing the Jharkhand government of playing politics of religious appeasement and polarisation, the BJP leaders staged a dharna and burnt effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren after the party workers were lathi-charged on Friday for taking part in a rally in Ranchi.

The protest demonstration was held under the leadership of East Singhbhum district president of BJP's OBC Morcha Dharmendra Prasad which had the participation of 100s of party workers, including women activists, and dharna was held at Sakchi roundabout in Ranchi.

Prasad claimed that the senior party workers were lathi-charged by the cops. The protesters were marching towards the assembly to register their objection to allocating a room to offer namaz in the house. Many party workers were injured in the incident.

"Soren is hell bent to crush voices raised against him and indulge in the politics of appeasement instead of fulfilling the promises made by the government," the PTI quotes Prasad as saying.

The BJP has been protesting inside and outside the house in the last couple of days after the Jharkhand government passed an order setting aside a room in the new assembly premises to offer namaz. The BJP opposed the decision stating that it was "unconstitutional" to allocate assembly premises to one religion while stating that the party was not against any religion.

The saffron party demanded that the government allot a place to set up a Hanuman temple.

On Thursday, Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto formed an all-party, 7-member panel (Pradeep Yadav, Neelkanth Singh Munda, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Vinod Singh, Lambodar Mahto and Deepika Pandey Singh), on the last day of the Monsoon session to look into the issue and submit a report within 45 days.

MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad had come up with the proposal of forming a committee to study whether or not there was a need for a namaz room in the new assembly.

Earlier, ruling party MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad made a proposal that Speaker should form a committee to study whether there is a need for a Namaz room.