The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief, Asaduddin Owaisi, has hit out at the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress for keeping mum on the recent arrest of Muslim cleric Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui in Meerut.
Addressing a public meeting at Islamia Intermediate College in Old City area, on Saturday, Owaisi urged Muslims to support former MP Atiq Ahmad and his kin who are expected to contest from different constituencies and AIMIM candidates in the upcoming state elections in Uttar Pradesh.
The UP Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) had arrested well-known Islamic scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui from Meerut on September 22 for allegedly running a conversion racket. A local court had then remanded Siddiqui to judicial custody till October 5.
“The SP and Congress are silent on the arrest of Maulana Kaleem out of a fear of losing their votes of other communities. The SP and Congress have been using Muslims for their own gains but have done nothing for their equal representation in politics and jobs. They remain silent on various issues of Muslims and have continued to betray them for the last 60 years. The SP and Congress leaders themselves remain silent on injustices to Muslims and claim that my statements on such issues benefits BJP,” Owaisi said.
Flaying the BJP for playing communal politics, Owaisi said that while Atiq Ahmad, Mukhtar Ansari, Azam Khan and hundreds of Muslims are languishing in jail, cases against BJP leaders accused of Muzaffarnagar riots have been withdrawn.
{{/usCountry}}Flaying the BJP for playing communal politics, Owaisi said that while Atiq Ahmad, Mukhtar Ansari, Azam Khan and hundreds of Muslims are languishing in jail, cases against BJP leaders accused of Muzaffarnagar riots have been withdrawn.
{{/usCountry}}Even chief minister Yogi Adityanath withdrew criminal cases against himself. The BJP government demolished the house of ex-MP Atiq and many other Muslims as part of a crackdown on the community, he said. Moreover, the recent anti-conversion law introduced by the BJP government is also highly biased, he alleged.
The rights of not only Muslims but also of Dalits, OBC, tribal community members are under threat, the AIMIM chief said while urging these communities to support and vote for his party in the upcoming elections.
Commenting on Atiq’s letter from the jail read by his wife, Shaista Parveen, Owaisi said that he was against injustice to anyone in the country. “Atiq Ahmad and his family are suffering but the Samajwadi Party who used him for several years did not speak for him. It is time that Muslims vote for AIMIM without fearing that their vote to the party may benefit BJP. Muslims should support AIMIM similar to how the Yadav community supports Samajwadi Party and dalits support the BSP,” he said.
Earlier, members of a saffron organisation blocked Shastri Bridge to stop the fleet of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi from entering the city. Over two dozen activists raised slogans against Owaisi demanding him to go back. Cops at Jhunsi police station soon reached the spot and asked the activists to clear the road. Police resorted to mild force to disperse them when they refused. Owaisi who was coming from Varanasi then proceeded to MIC college for the scheduled public meeting.
SP used me for years: Atiq in letter
PRAYAGRAJ: Mafiosi-turned-politician and former MP Atiq Ahmad’s wife, Shaista Parveen, read a letter by Atiq addressed to the people of Prayagraj at the rally.
In the letter, Atiq alleged that the Samajwadi Party used him for many years for political gain and sent him to jail when elections were nearing. Samajwadi Party wants Muslim leaders who do not raise a voice for the community.
“I helped the Samajwadi Party gain ground in the region and helped it by all means possible,” Shaista read.
Through the letter, Atiq demanded 22% Muslim representation in police and other jobs. He accused the BJP of not allowing the AIMIM chief to meet him at Ahmedabad Jail.
He admitted to mistakes having been committed by him, his relatives and associates. “I agree that some of my relatives harassed people but I was not aware of their acts. They even betrayed me and I apologise for all the wrong doings. I urge people of Prayagraj and other places to support the AIMIM in the upcoming elections and boycott other parties who pretend to be secular,” Atiq wrote in his letter.
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