Facing unrest over CAA, Yogi govt, BJP dial clerics for ensuring peace

LUCKNOW: As protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) escalated, with several universities witnessing student unrest, the ruling Bharatiya

LUCKNOW: As protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) escalated, with several universities witnessing student unrest, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party tasked its Muslim leaders and minority cell in Uttar Pradesh to meet religious leaders to blunt “opposition canard” on the subject, one which BJP claims is fanning the CAA fire.

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Meeting community leaders, including clerics, Islamic scholars and influential men across the state is part of BJP’s fire fighting plan, for which the party and the government are working in a coordinated manner.

Muslims account for nearly 17 per cent of the state’s population with Lucknow alone having around 6 lakh Muslims.

While the BJP’s minority cell is drawing up a list of important religious leaders of both Shia and Sunni sects, the Yogi Adityanath government is in touch with prominent clerics and community leaders with whose support it hopes to deescalate tension.

The Adityanath government succeeded in getting Khalid Rasheed Firangimahal, the imam of Eidgaah to issue appeal for peace late on Monday night. “As far as the issue of CAA is concerned, I would like to tell the community that many have already approached the Supreme Court in this regard and we all have our full faith on courts. But as we wait for the court’s decision, let us not spoil peace and I would like to tell all against relying on rumours,” Khalid Rasheed said in his appeal that was widely shared by BJP leaders on social media.

While Firangimahal is an influential cleric belonging to the Sunni sect, Hamidul Hasan, an influential cleric of the Shia sect was approached by Mohsin Raza, the Muslim face of the Yogi Adityanath government. Like Khalid Rasheed, the Shia cleric too issued an appeal for peace and urging the agitated youths of the community not to be swayed by emotions.

More importantly, he said, he would advice the agitated minds to approach their elders who could then decide to seek an audience with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address their concerns.

“Before 2019 Lok Sabha polls PM Modi spoke of sabka saath, sabka vikas. After elections he said it’s time to take everyone along, without thinking of who voted for them and who didn’t. That’s why he said he would want to earn ‘sabka vishwas’ too. So I am sure that PM would address our genuine concerns but our young must understand there was no need to take such steps which don’t lead anywhere,” the Shia cleric said.

Various other clerics from Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, a progressive Shia cleric who runs several educational institutions, Syed Ali Nasir Saeed Abaqati aka Maulana Agha Roohi, Maulana Yasoob Abbas among others are also being approached to contain the unrest that again surfaced in several UP universities.

Aligarh Muslim University witnessed maximum unrest on Sunday and Monday, forcing the administration to order closure of the university till January 5 while Lucknow’s famous Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama that also joined the protests followed suit, sporadic protests were also reported from Allahabad University as well as Banaras Hindu University. The UP police had shut down internet services in several districts while the chief minister Yogi Adityanath urged peace and advised the agitated students against taking law in their own hands.

“All are free to protest in a democratic manner but none would be allowed to take the law in their own hands,” Adityanath said after summoning the DGP OP Singh.

However, the decision to contact the community’s religious men was part of a larger plan to ensure that the tension brewing on the campuses didn’t spill across.

On Tuesday the BJP would further step up its efforts to contact more community leaders with Haidar Abbas Chand, the party’s minority cell chief in UP travelling to Varanasi to meet religious leaders there.

“The protests are sponsored. The community youths need to be told the actual picture. Indian Muslims have nothing to fear, the CAA is about giving citizenship to persecuted religious minorities of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and not about taking anyone’s citizenship right,” said Haidar Abbas.

Along with Aligarh Muslim University and Lucknow renowned Islamic seminary Nadwatul Ulema, the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi too had witnessed sporadic protests against the police action on students protesting against the CAA and National Register for Citizens (NRC). Since Varanasi is also Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency, the party’s minority cell chief quickly rushed there to cool frayed nerves.

Mohsin Raza would meet well-known Islamic scholar Salman Nadwi on Tuesday while Ameel Shamsi from the party’s minority wing said that a party delegation could approach Nadwa scholars too. BJP’s minority wing functionaries are also planning to approach the AMU authorities.

“When the country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah have repeatedly assured the Muslims that they have nothing to fear, then why is all this happening? It’s evident that those with vested interests are busy fanning passions and we are out to reveal the real picture before the community,” Mohsin Raza said.

“Please inform me if any government staff exploits or harasses you. I would initiate stern action against such people,” Adityanath had said to a delegation of Muslim clerics who met him along with Mohsin Raza.

Raza has been regularly meeting clerics after the Ayodhya verdict as part of a BJP-RSS initiative to connect with the minorities and even taken a delegation of clerics to meet Adityanath for the assurance that BJP government would ensure justice to them.

“Muslims are about 17 per cent of the state’s population but statistics show that they have been given above 30 per cent benefits in all major government schemes. My government would do justice with you,” Adityanath had said.