Delhi BJP chief questions row over removal of loudspeakers from mosques

Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party chief Adesh Gupta on Tuesday castigated the Aam Aadmi Party-led government in the national capital and questioned why removing loudspeakers from religious institutes is a problem in the city when there are no loudspeakers in mosques of Muslim countries either.

The city unit of BJP yesterday wrote to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and requested him to remove loudspeakers from religious places, "as per the Supreme Court's guidelines".

Addressing a press conference here, Gupta questioned Kejriwal and said, "When other countries, which are Muslim countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, have no loudspeakers in mosques, they have been removed in Uttar Pradesh too, then what is the problem in Delhi?"

He then demanded that the Delhi CM run a campaign for the removal of loudspeakers in Delhi to "cause an environment of peace" in the national capital.

The BJP chief also said that the noise pollution level has reached its extreme in Delhi.

"Many states have taken the decision to remove loudspeakers from religious places and the public has welcomed it. Students and people with illnesses face problems," he said.

Gupta informed that the BJP's Delhi unit had written to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal yesterday requesting to remove loudspeakers from religious places, as per the Supreme Court's guidelines.

"Even the Bombay High Court states that loudspeakers are not a part of any religion," he said.

Gupta shared orders of different courts banning or restricting the use of loudspeakers in religious place in states like Karnataka, Maharasjtra and Punjab and said that "In mandirs and gurudwaras, if there's bhajan kirtan, it stays within the site itself (the voice does not get out of the premises)."

Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, as many as 53,942 loudspeakers have been uninstalled from various religious places till 7.00 am on May 1, following the direction of the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government.

Prior to this announcement, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued directions for restricting the volume of loudspeakers at religious places, earlier this month.

While in Maharashtra, on April 13, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray gave an ultimatum to the state government and reiterated his demand that loudspeakers from mosques be removed.

However, throughout the loudspeaker row, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has maintained a clear stand on the issue and has reiterated time and again that his government will "never indulge in such politics" or interfere in any religion.