Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Wednesday opposed the Vishva Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) call to bar Muslims from attending garba and dandiya events during Navratri in Maharashtra, saying such a stand goes against the Constitution and its guarantee of equal rights for people of all religions.

Athawale made the remarks while speaking to reporters at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur after arriving in Chhattisgarh for a day-long visit.

“I feel this stand is not right because India runs on the Constitution. The Constitution given by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar ensures justice to all religions. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, Lingayats, Parsis and people of several other faiths live in India, and the Constitution seeks to protect all religions,” PTI quoted Athawale as saying said.

“It is not good to say that Muslims should not attend garba. Hindu and Muslim communities need to come together and work for the country,” said Athawale, who heads the Republican Party of India (A).

The remarks come amid a controversy over the VHP’s decision to prevent Muslim participation in garba and dandiya celebrations across Maharashtra during the 10-day Navratri festival.

The VHP has also issued guidelines for organisers, calling for Aadhaar cards to be checked and tilak to be applied on the foreheads of attendees to verify their identities.

VHP national spokesperson and joint secretary Shriraj Nair had earlier defended the decision, saying, “We have taken the decision not to allow Muslim participation in garba-dandiya dance during the Navratri festival.”

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“The Navratri festival is not just about song and dance. The festival is about worshipping the Goddess. Why should Muslims who are against idol worship participate in the festival?” he had said.

Nair had maintained that the move was not against any community and said, “We are not against anybody. We also believe in social harmony and peace.”

Athawale, however, cited the example of Ajmer Sharif Dargah in Rajasthan, saying a large number of Hindus visit the shrine and added that people of different faiths participate in each other’s religious traditions.

“Our country is such that people of all religions should participate in each other’s festivals. We oppose those taking such a stand. Such a stand is against the Constitution,” he said.

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The VHP’s position has also received support from Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Nitesh Rane, who alleged that cases of “love jihad” tend to increase during such festivals and backed identity checks for attendees.