Muslim religious leaders have come forward to join hands with the seers campaigning for conservation of Ganga river.
Maulana Saeedur Rehman, principal of Centre of Islamic Studies, said it is well known that Ganga is associated with the faith of Hindus but it is not any less important for Muslims.
Terming the drive to clean the river a “holy campaign,” Rehman said he would not only extend support to it but would do whatever was required in achieving it.
Member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangimahli said Ganga is a national river and it is not just the Hindus but also the Muslims who live on its banks and earn livelihood through it so it is the duty of all to protect and save it.
Pledging support for the campaign, Firangimahli also appealed to all the Muslims to contribute to achieve this goal and asked the central government to create a new ministry for conservation of rivers.
Convenor of Ganga Mukti Sangram Acharya Pramod Krishnan said he has got support from various Muslim leaders during his meetings with them earlier this week.
“The failure of various projects to make Ganga pollution-free following rampant corruption proves that only the involvement of common people can save the river and the support of Muslims in this task is equally important,” said Krishnan.
Krishnan, who met and sought the help of Rehman, leading Shia scholar Maulana Kalbe Jawwad and Firangimahli, said they readily extended support for the cause. “Soon we will sit together and formulate a joint work plan and also visit the areas on the banks of the river to create public awareness,” Krishnan said. Maulana Kalbe supported the drive and said that he would join the seers in this task.On the reasons for seeking the support of Muslims, Krishnan said it was also to instill among them the confidence that this is a totally non-political move and the issue is one concerning all the people of the country.
Accusing the BJP of associating the issue with a particular community in order to gain political mileage, he said it showed their opportunism.
Citing National Environmental Engineering Research Institute’s (NEERI) findings, he said oxygen and vital contents in the Ganga are being destroyed gradually because of the seven bridges on the Ganga and there is still a proposal of 39 more bridges on it.
“On the one hand government funds are used on building bridges and on the other, thousands of crores of rupees are wasted in the name of save Ganga project,” he said.
Accusing the Central and state governments of being responsible for misuse of funds, he demanded a high level inquiry into it.