Criticising Dr Zakir as the root of the problem, Sivarraajh said the Mumbai-based preacher should not provoke other religions and in fact, he should ask followers to respect other religions.
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One of the Dhaka attackers had even cited a speech by Naik and said he was inspired by sermons of the 50-year-old Mumbai-based Islamic scholar.
The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress have been engaged in a verbal duel ever since a 2012 video of Congress leader Digvijaya Singh sharing the stage with Zakir Naik surfaced on 7 July.
As the controversial Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik faces heat, the Maharashtra government today ordered a probe into his speeches that were reported to have inspired some of the Dhaka attackers while the Centre said “appropriate action” will be taken against him.
Naik has come under the scanner of the Indian Government after reports emerged that two of the six terrorists, who killed 22 people in a posh Dhaka cafe last week, were allegedly inspired by his speeches.
“The Home Ministry will study (his speeches)”.
“We are protesting against Naik for his fiery speeches, what he promotes. this is not the way to teach or propagate the spread of Islam”.
Earlier on Thursday, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting M. Venkaiah Naidu indicated that Naik could face action if his preachings and teachings were found to be objectionable.
I&B ministry officials said Naik’s TV channels including in Bangla and Urdu – which are beamed in Bangladesh are “banned” in India but shown by some cable TV operators.
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Film star Aamir Khan also yesterday condemned Naik saying that “terrorism has no religion”. “There is not a single speech of mine where I have encouraged people to kill one another, whether Muslim or non-Muslim”, he said. Followed by a huge number of people across the globe, his Official Facebook page has more than fourteen million fans. “But as a minister, I will not comment what action will be taken”.
