First body shamed and then discriminated by Cong over my Muslim identity: Zeeshan

Zeeshan Siddique alleges injustice to Muslims within Congress after being removed as Mumbai youth wing chief for his father joining NCP.

Zeeshan Siddique, who was removed as the Congress’ Mumbai youth wing chief, has alleged that “injustice is being done to Muslims within a party that claims to have secular credentials. The Bandra East MLA was sacked from the post after his father and former MLA Baba Siddique joined the NCP’s Ajit Pawar faction. Zeeshan was seen at the ceremony where his father joined the NCP, and NCP leaders claimed they would soon get him to join as well.

Mumbai, India - October 24, 2019: Congress candidate Zeeshan Siddique celebrates after he won against Mumbai Mayor and Shiv Sena candidate Vishwanath Mahadeshwar at Bandar east Bandra east in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, October 24, 2019. (Photo by Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times) (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

During a press conference on Thursday, Zeeshan alleged that he was dislodged from his post because his father Baba Siddique had joined the NCP–he demanded to know why the same logic was not applied to Rahul Gandhi when Sanjay Gandhi’s family joined the BJP (he was alluding to Gandhi’s wife Maneka and son Varun).

He spent a significant portion of the press conference attacking the Congress, directing his ire at party leaders. Siddiqui said that soon after he was denied the post of Youth Congress chief for nearly eight months despite having a won an election to that office by a margin of over 20,000 votes.

“I had secured 88,517 votes in my Youth Congress chief election. But there was a huge delay in my appointment. Apart from me, injustice was done to Mohammed Nalpad, who was elected as Youth Congress president in Karnataka,” he said. “Congress has no values. If Congress has problems with Muslims, then they must stop claiming that they are with Muslims.”

He claimed that there communalism pervaded the Congress party more than any other political unit and added that the Mumbai wing has never had a Muslim president. “When Milind Deora stepped down as president of Mumbai Congress, names of possible presidents were discussed. Muslim leaders like Naseem Khan, Aslam Shaikh, Amin Patel, and Baba Siddique were not considered. The Congress does not prioritise minorities,” he said.

He alleged that after he was elected Mumbai Youth Congress president, he was told not to elect more than two Muslim district youth presidents; with a warning that doing so would jeopardise his own position. “Why is Congress making a farce claiming they are with Muslims?” he questioned.

Zeeshan went on to charge the party of attacks that were personal in nature, claiming that he was body-shamed during Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra when “someone close to Rahul Gandhi” forbade him from accompanying the leader unless he “first lost 10 kilos”.

The state Congress party countered Zeeshan’s claims. “We gave him an MLA ticket and made him Youth Congress chief of Mumbai. Was this injustice?” said Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe.

Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad added, “Allegations raised by colleague Zeeshan Siddique against the Congress party and our leaders are most unfortunate and far from the truth.”

She went on to say: “It is also regrettable that Zeeshan has chosen to level such baseless allegations at a time when Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Parivar are fighting wholeheartedly to preserve the secular, democratic, and progressive idea of India, against the corrupt, divisive, and hate-filled politics of the RSS-BJP and its alliance partners. I would once again urge Zeeshan to introspect and not act under the influence of those out to destroy the idea of India.”