By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi: Assam politics are being played in Delhi these days. Assam’s Congress Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi was in Delhi Tuesday where he was felicitated by the Indian Islamic Culture Centre (IICC).
IICC, established to promote awareness of Islamic culture in India, is free to honor and award anyone it seems is working towards that ideal. Tarun Gogoi, a career politician’s name does not come to mind when talking about Islam in India. Congress took a severe beating by Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) in the last election. AUDF lead by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal has raided the traditional vote banks of the Congress in Assam.
May be to help his standing in Assam among Muslims, Mr. Tarun Gogoi donated Rs. 25 lakhs to IICC and in return IICC honored Mr. Gogoi and made him an honorary member of the centre. AUDF reacted angrily to the decision by IICC to honor Mr. Gogoi, calling him ‘anti-Muslim’
Maulana Ajmal alleged that hundreds of riot victims are still living in horrible conditions in makeshift camps for many years but the Congress government has only offered them promises. Even victims of recent flood in the state were not compensated.
“This was obviously an attempt by the chief minister to get publicity to mislead the minorities of the state by presenting a certificate from the Islamic Culture Centre. AUDF will continue to oppose the chief minister to expose his anti-Muslim stance in Assam”, said Mr. Ajmal about Mr. Gogoi’s felicitation.
The Assam congress today responded by calling Maulana Ajmal ‘fundamentalist’ and accusing him of getting donation from foreign countries. “The Islamic Culture Centre is an esteemed organisation of the Muslims of India and if the chief minister promises any grant to such an organisation why should Mr Ajmal object to it? Is it because the Islamic Culture Centre is a forum that is progressive while Mr Ajmal’s views are fundamentalist? Everybody knows that Mr Ajmal gets donations and grants from foreign countries like Dubai and Saudi Arabia, so why is Mr Ajmal objecting to any financial grant to the Islamic Culture Centre?”, read the statement released by the Assam Congress.
AUDF was formed just 45 days before the last Assam Assembly election surprised everyone by winning 10 seats. While lead by Maulana Ajmal and other Muslims, two of its legislators are non-Muslims and AUDF which is planning to launch in several states project itself as the party of the marginalized communities of India.
AUDF today said that they will collect Rs. 25 lakhs from the people of Assam for IICC and “request them to return the contribution of chief minister Tarun Gogoi.” AUDF is also demanding the publication of Tiwari Commission report on Nellie massacre in which over three thousand Muslims were killed, in February 1983.