Namaz Shouldn’t Become Show of Strength; Christmas Disruption in Pataudi Unfortunate: Haryana CM Khattar

Weeks after announcing that offering namaz in the open will not be tolerated by his administration, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Thursday that the prayers should not become a show of strength. He also termed an incident when Christmas celebrations at a school in Pataudi were disrupted “unfortunate”.

Speaking to the media in the national capital, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said that his administration is resolving the namaz controversy by speaking to both the Muslim and Hindu communities.

Responding to recent incidents of tension during Muslims offering prayers in groups in the open in Gurugram, Khattar said, “The administration is working out where namaz should be offered. Namaz should be restricted to namaz. It should not be made into a show of strength. Offering prayers or namaz is an issue that is private and religious. It can be done at home, mosque or Eidgah. If they want to do it in the open, it should be done with the administration’s permission. This applies to everyone, be it Sikh, Hindu, Christian or Muslim.”