Reacting to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's statement that the practice of offering 'namaz' in the open will not be tolerated, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said on Sunday that the restriction is aimed at just one particular community.
"It would have been fine if this restriction was on every religion, but policy of pick and choose shows a particular religion is on target," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.
The NC leader said Jammu and Kashmir did not merge with this India.
On Saturday, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah took exception to Khattar's remarks and asked the Haryana chief minister to provide spaces to Muslims for prayers as the Constitution guarantees religious freedom.
The Haryana CM had recently said, "The practice of offering namaz here (Gurgaon) in open spaces will not be tolerated...But we all will sit to find an amicable solution. Everyone should get the facility (to offer prayers), but nobody should infringe on others' rights. It will not be allowed."
"Religious places are built for this very purpose that people go there and offer prayers. Such programmes should not be held in open spaces," he said.
