Reacting on the natural disaster in Uttarakhand, former Samajwadi Party MP S T Hasan on Sunday cautioned that demolishing places of worship "out of arrogance" would anger the "creator" and lead to an increase in natural disasters.
Talking to PTI Videos, he said India is a religious country where people of all faiths -- Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians -- believe that the events in their lives are determined by the Almighty.
"We have angered him (God) by running bulldozer over temples, mosques and dargahs -- places where his name is taken and where he is worshipped. If we destroy such places in arrogance, his mercy will not be with us and disasters will only increase,' Hasan said.
The former MP stressed that all communities turn to their respective places of worship in times of distress. "Hindus go to temples and pray to God to save them. Muslims go to mosques and beg Allah for mercy. Even the most difficult problems get resolved and prayers are accepted," he said.
Hasan added that tampering with such sacred spaces disturbs the spiritual balance.
"If we bulldoze the places where the creator's name is taken -- the one who created the entire universe -- then it is obvious that his blessings will not remain with us," he remarked.
The former Moradabad MP also linked the worsening of natural calamities to environmental destruction.
"We have destroyed the ecosystem by cutting trees indiscriminately. This ecological imbalance has resulted in an increase in natural disasters," he said. -- PTI