BJP targets Karnataka govt after airport namaz video goes viral, Cong defends Muslims

Bengaluru, Nov 10 (PTI) A viral video purportedly showing a group of people offering 'namaz' (Islamic prayer) at Terminal-2 of the Kempegowda International Airport in the city has ignited a political controversy, with the opposition BJP taking strong exception to the incident and demanding accountability from the state government.

The video shows security personnel nearby observing the prayers.

The Airport authorities declined to comment on it.

Karnataka BJP unit spokesperson Vijay Prasad asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Minister Priyank Kharge whether those who performed prayers in a public place had obtained any prior permission as mandated in the recent rule framed by the state government.

"How is this even allowed inside the T2 Terminal of Bengaluru International Airport? Hon’ble Chief Minister @siddaramaiah and Minister @PriyankKharge do you approve of this?" Prasad asked in a post on 'X' on late Sunday night.

"Did these individuals obtain prior permission to offer Namaz in a high-security airport zone?" Referring to the rules, which the BJP alleged were framed to restrict RSS activities in the state, Prasad said, "Why is it that the government objects when the RSS conducts Patha Sanchalana (route march) after obtaining due permission from the concerned authorities, but turns a blind eye to such activities in a restricted public area?" The BJP spokesperson sought to know whether this does not pose a serious security concern in such a sensitive zone.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and a former minister H Anjaneya said doing prayer is not like walking with sticks.

Walking with sticks was an apparent reference to the RSS' route march called 'Patha Sanchalana'.

"Shouldn’t namaz be performed? They were just doing prayers. One must learn devotion from them (Muslims). A Muslim performs prayers wherever he is just for peace of mind. Once the time approaches (for prayers) he takes out his mat and performs namaz wherever he is, be it a bus stand or an agriculture field," the Congress leader said during a press conference in Haveri in the party office.

He said there is nothing wrong in mass prayer and what the Muslims did was correct.

"They (Muslims) don’t put on vermillion on the forehead, perform Puja..." Since, there was no mosque around, they did it there (at the airport), Anjaneya said.

He asked people to shun narrow-mindedness on this issue. PTI GMS GMS KH