Mumbai: In the wake of the Easter blasts in Sri Lanka, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday created a flutter by demanding a ban on the burqa in the country. However, faced with flak from all quarters, the Sena later issued a clarification, stating that this was not the party’s official stand.
In an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana, the Sena had said if the burqa was banned in “Ravan’s Lanka, then why not in Ram’s Ayodhya?”
In the wake of recent terror strikes that claimed over 250 lives, the Sri Lankan government is mulling a ban on the use of burqa in the country.
Commenting on this, the Sena said, “This restriction has been recommended as an emergency measure to ensure the security forces do not encounter difficulties in identifying anybody. People wearing face-masks or burqas could pose a threat to national security.”
The party argued that the Indian government should follow the Sri Lankan government’s example and impose a ban on the burqa for the sake of national security.
However, the demand created an uproar in the country as All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi and Republican Party of India-Athawale (RPI-A) leader and Union minister for social justice Ramdas Athawale condemned it.
In a statement, Mr Owaisi slammed the Sena, terming the editorial ignorant. He said that the Supreme Court of India in its judgment on privacy clearly had laid down that choice was a fundamental right. Terming the demand a violation of the model code of conduct, he urged the Election Commission of India to take immediate note of it and called it an attempt at polarization.
Mr Athawale remarked that not all women who wear the burqa are terrorists. He further stated that it is a tradition and that women have the right to wear it and added that there should not be any ban on the garment in the country.
Reacting to the criticism, Sena spokesperson Dr Neelam Gorhe termed it a ‘personal opinion’ based on the current developments.
