Chhattisgarh Waqf Board asks mosque mutawallis to seek nod for Friday sermons; Cong slams move

Raipur, Nov 18 (PTI) The Chhattisgarh Waqf Board has asked 'mutawallis' (caretakers) of mosques to seek consent from it for their Friday sermons in what an official on Monday said was a bid to ensure these places of worship "do not become rajniti ka adda (havens of politics)".

However, the move in the BJP-ruled state garnered stringent criticism from the opposition Congress, which said the Board's directive was beyond its jurisdiction, unconstitutional and an attack on the freedom of religion and expression of muttawallis as well as worshippers.

A Whatsapp group has been made of 3,842 mutawallis so that action can be taken for any "absurd" statement, said Chhattisgarh State Waqf Board chairman Dr Salim Raj, a state government appointee.

Urging imams of mosques to give speeches as per the Quran and leave politics to politicians, he said, "From this Friday, they will have to tell the Chhattisgarh Waqf Board about the subject matter of their speeches. We will not allow mosques to become rajniti ka adda. These are religious places and must remain so" "It is unfortunate that some mutawallis issue fatwas (religious edicts) on issues like who to vote. I have seen videos in which some mutawallis are using terms like zaalimon ka sarkar (tyrannical government). Should mutawallis be giving such statements from mosques? These statements disturb social harmony," Raj said.

Going further, Raj claimed there was a "history of members of our community being misled after Friday prayers in Jammu and Kashmir" following stone pelting incidents.

They call this (BJP) government cruel even as it is working with the motto of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka prayas', the Chhattisgarh Waqf Board chief added.

"The Congress should not make mosques a hub of politics for the sake of vote bank," Raj asserted.

Hitting back, state Congress spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla said the directive is unconstitutional.

"They have issued this directive by going beyond their jurisdiction. The job of the Waqf Board is to look after the properties of the Waqf. It is not to approve speeches delivered by the mosque mutawalli. This is an attack on religious freedom and freedom of expression of mutawallis and worshippers," Shukla said.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party must answer on why such a directive has been issued, Shukla said. PTI COR BNM