By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: In an attempt to make himself a pan-national leader, Narendra Modi is not the only one, who is wooing Muslims in Gujarat as well as across the country. With less than a year to go before UP elections, even Modi’s party, BJP is trying to court Muslim groups to ensure minority votes in the state, which has around 18 % of Muslim populace.
In accordance with this election strategy, the saffron party has no hesitation in courting and seeking the support of a cleric based party, the Rashtriya Ulema Council (RUC), which was established in Azamgarh after the Batla house “fake” encounter in 2008.
DR. JK Jain addressing Ulema Council rally at jantar Mantar
“I have the mandate from my party to tell you that I have come here to seek your support for BJP. My party supports you and supports your demands but we want you to be with us. Only we and you together, can throw away the Congress party, which has been killing Muslim youths on the name of fighting terror,” said Dr. JK Jain, national in-charge of the BJP Minority Morcha.
Jain was addressing the crowd of hundreds of people during a national rally by RUC protesting against the denial of judicial enquiry into Batla House “fake” encounter by the Congress government. Interestingly anti-Congress tirade was common in the speeches of both RUC leaders and Dr. Jain, the prominent minority leader of the saffron party.
The RUC leaders, who had specially invited Dr. Jain, were taken by surprise and had no idea how to respond to Dr. Jain’s offer of alliance with the BJP. When this correspondent asked Maulana Amir Rashadi, RUC chief about the BJP leaders offer, he became furious.
R-L: Ulema Council chief Amir Rashadi, party General Secretary Maulana Tahir Madani and others at Delhi rally on 19th Sep. 2011 — the third anniversary of Batla House encounter
Jain was frank and bold in explaining the logic of an alliance between BJP and RUC, “What else did you call me here for? Did you expect me to just come here and support your demands? I have come here to seek your support also for my party,” Jain further added.
Jain pitched his offer of support to the RUC, on a scathing criticism of Congress, calling the Congress party as the “party which has only harmed Muslim interests on the name of its pro-Muslim policies.”
Maulana Rashadi on his part was no less strong in his anti-Congress speech. He regarded Congress to be the main culprit behind the Batla House “fake encounter.” Demanding immediate judicial enquiry into the fake “encounter,” Maulana Rashadi warned the Sonia Gandhi led party, of “dire consequences” in a situation otherwise.
Rashadi predicted that RUC will overthrow the Congress party from the state in 2012 and from the center in 2014 general elections. When this correspondent asked him about his party plans to do this when it can’t even win the parliamentary seat of Azamgarh in the last general elections in 2009, Rashadi boasted of “increased party base” in the last three years.
At far as the present political standing of RUC is concerned, it could get only 1.73 lakh votes together in Azamgarh and four other neighboring Lok Sabha constituencies in 2009. It proposes to cover each of the 403 assembly constituencies in 2012 assembly polls.
The party had polled 1,08,000 votes in Azamgarh Zila Panchayat election in 2008. The number has now shot up to 4,60,000. The RUC bagged eight seats, lost 13 seats by a whisker and stood second in rest of the seats.
Among other demands of the RUC is constitution of a special commission, comprising of retired judges of Supreme Court, to probe all the acts of terrorism in India.
In Batla house encounter, Atif and Sajid, two youths from Azamgarh, were killed by the Special Cell of Delhi police. The Indian intelligence establishment alleged them to be “Indian Mujahideen” operatives, whereas a large section of the Muslim community, civil rights groups and a section of media regarded them to be innocent youths who were killed in a “fake” encounter.