LUCKNOW: Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mohsin Raza on Saturday issued a notice to Haj Committee Secretary R. P. Singh seeking clarification on Lucknow’s Haj House being painted from saffron to cream.
Raza, the lone Muslim member in the Yogi Adityanath government, asked RP Singh who authorized him to painted the office in saffron and subsequently repainted to cream. Singh, who blamed the contractor for the incident has been asked to furnish all the details and explanation
“Under what rules is the upkeep of the office, including its whitewash etc done? Who is responsible for repainting the wall and who is going to bear the cost and what action, if any, has been taken against the contractor concerned,” Raza has asked.
The Haj House located at the Vidhan Sabha road in Lucknow made headlines on January 5 after the exterior walls was given a saffron look overnight days after the secretariat building facade was given the same coat, news agency PTI reported.
The change of colour evoked sharp reactions and soon after an outcry, the boundary walls of the Haj House were repainted on January 6.
Saffron colour is majorly related with the Hinduism and also associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Raza, lone Muslim minister in the state cabinet tried to project saffron as a symbol of brightness and energy.
He defended the decision saying,
“Saffron is a gift of God. It is a colour of happiness. It is the colour of sunrise, which gives light to the whole world,” he said.
“I have one thing to say to those who are opposing the colour… would they oppose the national flag too, which has the same colour?… It is a government office and has been painted in a colour which the officers and staff decided,” he said.