LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hassan on Wednesday slammed Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s remarks on banning namaz on roads, saying the Constitution does not permit targeting any community. “As per the Constitution, he has no right to target any community. The roads belong to the society. Just like other festivals being celebrated on roads pose no objection to anyone, there should be no objection to namaz which is offered in 2 minutes.” Her response came after CM Yogi Adityanath defended his government’s ban on offering namaz on public roads, saying prayers must be held only at designated places of worship and, where there is a space crunch, offered “in shifts” instead of blocking public spaces. Speaking at an event organised by a news daily in Lucknow, Adityanath said roads were meant for commuters, patients and working citizens, not religious gatherings, and stressed that the “rule of law will prevail equally for everyone”. “People ask whether roadside prayers have stopped in UP. I tell them to come and see for themselves. It simply does not happen anymore,” he said. “We are not stopping anyone from offering prayers, but roads cannot be occupied for it.” The chief minister also targeted previous governments in Uttar Pradesh, accusing them of encouraging lawlessness, caste politics and appeasement. He alleged that exam-copying mafias and criminal syndicates flourished under their rule, leading to an “identity crisis” in the state.
