Sri Lanka attacks: Shiv Sena wants PM Modi to ban burqa in India

Mumbai, May 01: The Shiv Sena has demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ban burqa across the country on the lines of Sri Lanka to prevent terror attacks.

In an editorial in Saamna, Shiv Sena's mouthpiece, a call has been made to ban burqa in the interest of national security.

Referring to the ban on burqa announced by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and also highlighting similar moves in countries like France following terror attacks there, the editorial asks why India is not considering this option in the interest of national security.

"It has happened in Raavan's Lanka. When will it happen in Ram's Ayodhya? We ask this question to the PM as he is scheduled to visit Ayodhya on Wednesday," read the editorial.

It further states that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to take a big step in this direction and that banning the burqa will require as much courage as the surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

However, the proposal was rejected by another NDA ally, union minister Ramdas Athawale of the Republican Party of India, who said that burqa should not be banned.

"It is not right to say that all burqa wearing Muslims are terrorists, but there are people who misuse the burqa and they should be punished. There should be no such ban on burqa in India or Maharashtra. It's a part of their (Muslims) tradition," he was quoted saying by ANI.

Praising Sri Lanka's courage to put national security first, the editorial also says that it is impossible to ascertain intentions of everyone who chooses to cover their faces.

A week after coordinated blasts hit three churches and three luxury hotels, killing over 250 people and inuring more than 500 others in Sri Lanka, President Maithripala Sirisena made it illegal for Muslim women in the country to wear any form of face veils in public.