Row over invite to 3 Muslim MLAs for Har-ki-Pauri event

HARIDWAR: A row erupted in Haridwar after the district administration invited three Muslim MLAs from the region for an event at Har-ki-Pauri ghat to mark the state foundation day, a move allegedly opposed by Ganga Sabha , the body administering the ghat. It argued that the three legislators should not have been invited as “non-Hindus are not allowed entry at the ghat since long, and the British had also made it a rule under the Haridwar Municipal Act of 1935.”

The event, held on Monday in the presence of CM Pushkar Singh Dhami and a host of other BJP leaders, featured cultural performances and a light show. As part of protocol, Haridwar district administration had invited Congress MLA from Piran Kaliyar Furqan Ahmed, BSP MLA from Laksar Mohammad Shahzad, and Congress MLA from Manglaur Qazi Nizamuddin. However, none of the MLAs attended.

A Ganga Sabha member told TOI, “Some issues were raised but it was confirmed that none of the MLAs were coming.” He refused to comment further saying, “Everything went well.”

State coordinator of Bajrang Dal, Anuj Walia, said, “We strongly opposed inviting the MLAs... The administration accepted the mistake and told us that the MLAs will not come.”

Mohammad Shahzad said, “We don’t care about the resistance by right-wing outfits... We know the sanctity of Ganga and Har-ki-Pauri and we respect it. I do not go to govt events as BJP leaders hijack them and elected representatives are not entertained.”

Qazi Nizamuddin said that he and Ahmed were not in the state when the event took place. “I have been campaigning in Maharashtra for the past few weeks. Furqan Ahmed is also campaigning in Maharashtra.”