AMN / New Delhi
The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has expressed serious concern over the Ministry of AYUSH to make the recitation of ‘’Om’’ compulsory along with yogic exercises in schools and colleges and termed it as an interference in the constitutionally guaranteed right to profess and practice one’s own religion.
The Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Muhammad Salim Engineer said: The entire exercise seems to be a ploy to divert the attention of the masses from the pressing problems of the nation and the dismal performance of the Central government in solving them.’’
Salim Engineer said that: ‘the word ‘Om’ has a religious symbolism associated with a particular community and they are free to recite it. However nobody has the right to make this recitation compulsory for citizens of all faiths and beliefs.
Tall promises made by the ruling party remain unfulfilled and the rhetoric of ‘sabka saath’ is being submerged under the din of hate speeches and provocative statements by members of the ruling echelon. Economic inequality is on the rise and the country is facing water shortage and drought.
Corruption is still all pervading and a host of national issues remain unresolved. In such a scenario the Central government has utilized the AYUSH ministry and come out with an edict that is morally unsound and also goes against the spirit of our Constitution.
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind demands that the AYUSH ministry must roll back its compulsory yoga program and that the government should take proper action against those who are trying to damage the secular and pluralistic ethos of our nation’’.
