New Delhi:
A Supreme Court verdict given 17 years back that
Imams of government-aided mosques should be given salaries, was flagged by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Trinamool Congress (TC), who demanded its implementation apparently with Bihar and West Bengal Assembly polls in mind.
The government on its part said it would take appropriate action to implement the judgement when the matter was raised by RJD, Trinamool and Samajwadi Party (SP) in the Lok Sabha while the Congress dismissed their concern on the issue as an election stunt by dragging matters out of the "closet".
Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee gave the assurance in the lower House on a Zero Hour mention made by RJD chief Lalu Prasad.
Lalu wanted to know the reasons for the delay in implementation of a 1993 Supreme Court judgement on a petition of the All India
Imams Organisation relating to salaries of Imams in government-aided mosques and remuneration to clerics in non-aided places of worship. Trinamool and SP also shared the sentiments expressed by Lalu.
There was minor uproar in the House after Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid spoke of differences among
Imams on drawing salaries from the government.
BJP members, including Yogi Adityanath and Bijoya Chakraborty, were heard demanding similar remuneration for eight lakh temple priests across the country.
At this point, Mukherjee said government would take note of the Supreme Court judgement. He also said government was fully aware of the situation and will take appropriate action in the matter.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari toled reporters, "There is an election in Bihar and when elections are round the corner a large number of cases are dragged out of the closet."
Tewari wondered why the RJD leader did not raise the issue when he was a minister in UPA-1 government.
Reacting to the Congress charge, Lalu said, "Congress did not implement it despite coming to power on Muslim votes. But when our party will come to power in Bihar, we will implement the directive."
"Congress has only indulged in vote
ki rajniti (votebank politics). It only seeks votes from the minorities but does little for their welfare," Lalu told reporters outside Parliament.
He said as per the 1993 Supreme Court judgement, a law was to be framed within six months to provide salary to
Imams (clerics) of government-aided mosques and remuneration to
Imams of unaided mosques.
He also threatened a "mass agitation" if the Supreme Court directives were not implemented at the earliest.
Expressing similar sentiments, Trinamool leader Sudip Bandhyopadhyay said his party supported RJD on the issue as "imams in West Bengal were in a bad state and facing economic crisis."
He rejected suggestions that TC raised the issue keeping in mind the coming Assembly elections. "Minorities are already with Mamata
ji."
The TC leader said after Jammu and Kashmir and Assam, West Bengal has the maximum number of Muslims in the country. "They constitute 28 per cent of the state's population," he said.