Govt hurting Muslim sentiments: Maulana of saffron-painted Haj house

The maulana of the Haj house, whose exterior walls were painted in saffron colour in Lucknow, has averred that the government should not do anything that hurts the sentiments of the Muslim community.

"I think this is not a right decision because the saffron colour is the identity of a particular religion, while Haj is associated with Islam. So the government shouldn't do anything that hurts the sentiments of Muslims," Maulana Nadeem-ul-Wajidi of Deoband told ANI.

He also said the current Uttar Pradesh Government was made out of a collective decision - of the Hindus and the Muslims.

The exterior walls of the Haj House in Lucknow, earlier in the day, were painted in saffron colour -- majorly related with the Hinduism and also associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Reacting to the incident, Uttar Pradesh Minister Mohsin Raza said the move should not invite any controversy as the building was painted saffron just to beautify it.

However, the Opposition is claiming that the BJP resorted to alleged 'saffronisation' of the state.