By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Controversial BJP leader Subramanian Swami on Friday urged the Muslims of the country to allow construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya so that peace and communal harmony can be maintained.
Swami, who was in Guwahati at the Gauhati High Court in connection with a case against him for making derogatory speeches against mosques and churches, said that things would be much easier if the Muslims leave the place and construct a mosque in some other places.
BJP leader Subramanian Swami arrives at Gauhati High Court on Friday
“To create an atmosphere of communal harmony, let the Muslim community accept that and leave the place to construct Ram Mandir. Let them build a mosque on the other side of river Sarayu. We will also help in it,” Swami told reporters outside the court.
Earlier, the Gauhati High Court suspended proceedings for four weeks against Swamy in a lower court for allegedly delivering a hate speech and issued notice to Assam government and the complainant.
Swamy argued his case in person before Justice B K Sharma urging the court to quash criminal proceedings against him in Karimganj Additional Judicial Magistrate court, which had also issued a non-bailable warrant against him after he failed to appear before it.
The Karimganj district court had issued the order following a complaint registered by advocate Tutiur Rahman Patikar for hurting the sentiments of the Muslim and the Christian community.
Shah Saiyad Ahadur Rahman, additional CJM (Karimganj), in his order, had said that Swamy should be arrested on or before June 30. The order also asked the Delhi and Assam police to arrest him and produce before the court.
During a visit in March this year, Swamy had reportedly said that mosques and churches are mere ‘buildings’ to offer prayers. “So there is no problem in demolishing them. They demolish mosques even in Saudi Arabia,” he had said. He further said that god lives only in temples.
He also made some other statements which evoked sharp reactions across the region. Swamy had said that if an illegal Muslim immigrant was ready to convert to Hinduism then he could be allowed to stay in India.
After that Swamy filed a writ petition WP(C) 4186/2015 under Article 226 and 227 of the Constitution for quashing criminal proceedings pending against him in the Karimganj Court.
Justice Sharma on Friday after hearing Swamy’s arguments issued notice returnable by four weeks and till then suspended the proceedings in Karimganj Court. The court directed the listing of the case after four weeks.
Swamy moved the Supreme Court which stayed the execution of the non-bailable warrant against him by six weeks and allowed him to approach a ‘competent court’ within that period and accordingly he appeared before the Gauhati High Court on Friday.
Swami on Friday repeated his statement as he said that mosque is a mere building for prayer. “We construct temples with prana pratistha puja and which means God arrives in the temple. Even in Saudi Arabia, mosques are demolished for making way for construction of roads,” he said.
Assam police had also registered an FIR against Swamy at Latasil police station in Guwahati under sections section 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), 298 (Uttering words with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person), 153 (A) (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language) of IPC following a complaint by Chhatra Mukti Sangram Samiti, students wing of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), a peasants’ organization of the state.
Related:
Mosques and churches are mere buildings, says BJP leader Subramanian Swamy
Arrest warrant against BJP’s Subramanian Swamy by Assam court