The chief of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Badaruddin Ajmal, has asked members of the Muslim community in Assam to avoid travelling by trains during this month to avoid “any untoward incident”.
Ajmal’s statement comes ahead of the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22.
The temple will be be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and over 60,00 people are expected to attend the consecration ceremony.
Addressing a political campaign in Assam’s Barpeta district on Friday, Ajmal urged Muslims to remain home from January 20 to 25.
“They (Bharatiya Janata Party) has booked special trains, flights and buses to bring people to the Ram Mandir; they have big plans. I urge our Muslim brothers not to travel from January 20 to 24-25,” the Dhubri MP said,” Ajmal said.
The AIUDF is planning to contest three out of 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam in the upcoming general elections and party members have started conducting meetings in these constituencies.
He said the BJP is the enemy of Islamic religious beliefs and laws and is against ‘triple talaq’. “They are enemy of our lives, our pride, mosques and modesty of Muslim women. Our laws are based on Quran but they are interfering in that too,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}He said the BJP is the enemy of Islamic religious beliefs and laws and is against ‘triple talaq’. “They are enemy of our lives, our pride, mosques and modesty of Muslim women. Our laws are based on Quran but they are interfering in that too,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Ajmal represents the minority-dominated Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency in Assam. His party contested the 2021 Assam Assembly elections with the Congress party but later they parted ways.
Senior BJP leader and Member of Parliament (MP) from Assam’s Silchar, Rajdeep Roy strongly condemned Badaruddin Ajmal’s ‘stay at home’ remark. He said that there is a big difference between BJP and Badaruddin Ajmal's party. “Their political existence is based on their religious identity while our ideology is nationalism. I’d suggest Mr Ajmal to refrain from spitting venom at this moment,” Roy said.
He said that Ram Temple is not a political issue and BJP is not trying to use this for political gain. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is witnessing a historic moment when Ram Lalla will return home after 500 years. Everyone across religious groups is celebrating this. I’d suggest Mr Ajmal to be a part of this celebration instead of making hateful remarks,” Roy said.
Roy said that this is not new from the AIUDF chief and he has been trying to create hate in the name of religion for the sake of his political gains for many years. “People like Ajmal do this for their political gain but I think he should keep historic Ram Temple apart because this is an integral part of Indian culture and not a political topic,” Roy added.