Have national policy on loudspeakers: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut tells Centre

Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil to seek all-party views on proposed guidelines; growing opposition to Raj Thackeray’s May 1 rally

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has asked the Centre to form a national policy on the use of  loudspeakers at religious, public and other places, and implement it first in BJP-ruled states. The Maharashtra government will also abide by the Centre’s directives over the national policy, he said on Wednesday. 

The demand comes in the wake of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray’s ultimatum to the state government to remove loudspeakers from mosques before May 3, failing which his party will blare Hanuman Chalisa when Muslims pray five times a day.

“I appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to frame a national policy on the use of loudspeakers. The policy’s implementation should begin from states like Bihar, Delhi and Gujarat,” Raut said, adding that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) people were responsible for creating a row, though loudspeakers still remain at mosques in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

Raut wondered whether the BJP’s members would behave on this issue in the manner that it has exempted certain states from a policy on cow slaughter ban.

Raj Thackeray wants the state government to remove loudspeakers from mosques. File pic/Ashish Rane

‘All-party views to be sought’

The Maharashtra government has also initiated a process to form uniform guidelines for the use of loudspeakers. The police department is working on it. Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil said views of all political parties will be sought before finalising 
the guidelines.    

Patil said on Wednesday that an all-party meeting will be held by the government and leaders, including Raj Thackeray, will be invited, among others from the Opposition.

Opposition to Raj rally

Some political parties and social organisations have appealed to the local police and the state government to not allow Raj Thackeray’s public rally in communally sensitive Aurangabad on May 1, which is Maharashtra Day.

The minority cell of the Nationalist Congress Party, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, RPI (Kharat), All India Panther Sanghatana, Prahar Janshakti Paksh, Maulana Azad Vichar Manch, Gabbar Action Sanghatana and other organisations have appealed to the administration to withdraw permission, if any, granted to the MNS organisers, who have a booked a public ground in the city.

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi has reminded that the local police had refused permission in March this year to felicitate Muskan, a girl student from Karnataka, who defied male counterparts who had opposed the use of hijab in the school.

Sources said the police have not granted MNS permission yet. In the previous incident, in January 2011, police had allowed the party to hold a public rally merely four hours before the scheduled time. Thackeray has addressed two rallies—in Mumbai and Thane early this month—in which he announced the agitation against the use of loudspeakers at mosques. He calls it a social issue instead of a religious one.

Install CCTVs in mosques

After demanding the removal of loudspeakers, the MNS wants mosques to install CCTV cameras on their premises. Party leader Bala Nandgaonkar asked if other religious sites and places of worship have CCTV camera network, and said then mosques should also have them installed. Nandgaonkar said the measure will help check any wrongdoings. He demaned that the state release the guidelines for this.

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