Firecracker ban: Tripura Guv asks to prohibit Azaan broadcast

Expressing discontent over firecrackers ban in Diwali in the national capital, Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy on Tuesday questioned as to why there is no ban on the use of loudspeakers to broadcast Azaan to check noise pollution.

Hitting out at certain secular groups for adopting double standard and resorting to vote bank politics Tripura Governor said that if the firecrackers have been banned to check noise pollution then why there is no prohibition on Azaan being broadcasted through loudspeaker.

"The so called secular crowd rundown the noise pollution caused by crackers saying that it harms the heart patient and therefore these things should be banned. They don't see the same things about the Azaan that broadcast over loudspeakers around 4.30 in the morning. Why this double standard? I feel very sad about this but the reason is vote bank politics," Roy told ANI.

Earlier in the day, the Tripura Governor took to his Twitter saying that so called secular group pitch for firecrackers ban but never talk about ban on Azaan broadcast to garner vote of a particular community.

"Every Diwali fights start over noise pollution from crackers. A few days in a year. But no fight about Azaan over loudspeakers at 4.30 AM! Either 'secular crowd' themselves dabbled in vote-bank politics or their patrons do and they have it in their mind when they talk of banning crackers, but they don't talk about banning the Azaan over loudspeakers," he said in a tweet.

He further said that Islam doesn't enjoin that Azaan should be broadcast over loudspeakers.

"There are minarets around mosques and the Muezzin is supposed to go up on minarets and shout the Azaan. He is not supposed to use loudspeakers. At the time of Prophets of Islam there was no loudspeaker. Therefore loudspeaker should not be used but still they are being used and nobody says anything about it," he added.

Earlier also, Roy had raised his voice against the ban on firecrackers and said he was not happy with the prohibition.

"As a Hindu, I am unhappy with the decision of the court, as Diwali is an all India festival and probably, the most important Hindu festival, and bursting crackers is a part of it," Roy had said.

The Supreme Court had on October 9 imposed a blanket ban on sale of firecrackers in the Delhi-NCR in the run-up to Diwali to check the alarming pollution level.