Aligarh (UP), March 16 The remarks of a BJP MP that he does not know what Eid or Ramazan is while opposing prayers in this district of Uttar Pradesh have gone viral on social media, drawing criticism from opposition politicians, even as community leaders have appealed for calm.
When reporters asked BJP MP Satish Gautam on Sunday about a local AIMIM leader's demand for permission to hold Eid prayers at the exhibition grounds here, he said he is not interested in such festivals and does not even know their names.
"I do not know what Eid or Ramazan is. I am least interested in them," Gautam said.
He also accused Muslims of "illegally occupying large tracts of land during the Samajwadi Party's rule" in Uttar Pradesh and questioned the need for additional space for prayers.
"There is no need to give them the ground. They have the Eidgah for prayers," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.
He further said that Muslims are among the major beneficiaries of the present BJP-led government's welfare schemes. "They are getting more than their due share, so what else do they want from us now?" he asked.
Reacting to the MP's remarks, former Aligarh Muslim University Students' Union president Salman Imtiaz said Gautam is known for frequently making "senseless and provocative statements" and that both Hindus and Muslims ignore such comments in the interest of peace.
Imtiaz, now associated with the Congress and a former contestant for the Aligarh City Assembly seat, alleged that Gautam's remarks were intended at diverting attention from internal disputes within the city unit of the BJP.
Former Aligarh mayor Mohammad Furqan also appealed for restraint, saying it is "gratifying" that the members of both communities have shown maturity and refrained from reacting to the BJP leader's statement.
Furqan, who is the vice-president of the India Islamic Cultural Centre in New Delhi, said the recent Holi celebrations and the Juma-tul-Alvida prayers were conducted in a cordial atmosphere and well managed by district authorities.
"It is now for the state government to ensure that the festival of Eid is also held in a cordial atmosphere," he said.
Some students of the Aligarh Muslim University said they would move a petition in the Allahabad High Court seeking its intervention, alleging that Gautam's remarks violated the spirit of the country's secular Constitution.
However, a senior elected member and spokesperson of the Aligarh Muslim University Teachers' Association declined to comment on the issue, saying the body prefers not to "stoke a controversy arising from statements made by politicians".
Meanwhile, district authorities said they are taking precautionary measures to ensure peaceful Eid celebrations, while keeping in view possible sensitivities arising from ongoing tensions in West Asia.