Capt Amarinder Singh takes exception to Manohar Lal Khattar's Namaz remark

CHANDIGARH: Reacting to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s remark that Namaz should be offered only in mosques, his Punjab counterpart Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday accused the BJP of making an attempt to “communalise the atmosphere in the country.”

“To my mind, the BJP seemed to be out to polarise the society on religious lines to garner votes,’ he said, adding, “India is a republic governed by a Constitution and neither Khattar, nor anyone else, had the right to dictate to the people on where they should or should not hold prayers,” said Amarinder in response to questions at a press conference here.


Khattar had said on Sunday, “According to our point of view, namaz should be offered at mosque and Eidgah. In case of shortage of place for namaz, then it should be offered at personal place. These should not be displayed at public places,” he said.

Asked to comment on the transfer of Kathua rape-murder case to Pathankot, on the directive of the Supreme Court, Captain Amarinder said his government would ensure full security for the victim’s family, lawyer and others during the trial proceedings. His government said the chief minister was committed to upholding the judicial process as per the apex court’s directives.

Captain Amarinder said the special task force (STF) on drugs was doing a great job, having already apprehended over 15,000 drug peddlers. The big fish had run away from the country and would also be nabbed soon, he said, adding that one big dealer had been arrested by the Hong Kong police and the Punjab government would be seeking his extradition.

To a question on his government's affidavit in Supreme Court in the case against Local Government Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, Captain Amarinder Singh reiterated that they could not have backtracked from the stand it had taken earlier in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He said personally he was in complete support of Sidhu and hope that the court would take into account his great contribution to the country while deciding his case.