Bandi Sanjay targets Cong over Namaz at Charminar

Hyderabad: In between controversy over call for Namaz at Charminar, an Archeological Survey of India (ASI) protected site, Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar came down heavily on the Congress leader Rasheed Khan for starting a signature campaign to open the Charminar mosque for Muslim prayers.

The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) secretary Rasheed Khan on Tuesday launched a signature campaign to hold a sit-in protest at Charminar, requesting the ASI authorities to allow the protected site to be opened for prayers. It may be recalled that earlier prayers were held in the mosque situated on the terrace of the historical site, however, after a couple of people jumped to death from Charminar site, the ASI had stopped Muslims from holding prayers at the site.

Reacting to Congress leader Rasheed Khan's demand for Charminar to be opened for Namaz, the Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar said, "Why the demand for Namaz at Charminar now? Did you remember that you needed to offer prayers at Charminar, because we started offering prayers at Bhagyalakshmi temple? Why didn't you do it earlier?"

He added that "Congress, TRS and AIMIM have an internal understanding and raked this issue for the minority appeasement. They are trying to create controversy."

Sanjay Kumar warned the political parties not to touch Bhagyalakshmi temple located on the Charminar premises. He said, "the AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi is trying to amass wealth and for this he is using the Muslim minority as a vote bank and never developed the old city. He asked why the MIM did not build any flyover? Why are the youth of the old city not getting passports?"

Telangana Congress leader Rasheed Khan has demanded that the mosque should be opened for prayers. He said it is a "constitutional right to freely practice religion." He called Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Union Minister for Culture G Kishan Reddy demanding the reopening of Masjid-e-Charminar'.