By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) is calling a special meeting of its Central Advisory Council next month to decide its political role in the country. It may decide to contest elections.
In an exclusive talk with this correspondent, JIH vice president K A Siddique Hassan said the JIH had last week a special meeting of its Central Advisory Council to take stock of the political situation in the country and decide its own political role. But the meeting remained inconclusive, so a fresh meeting has been called in August.
Asked if JIH is going to contest general elections, Hassan said all options are open. “Jamaat-e-Islami Hind is an ideological organization and it does not want to treat politics as untouchable,” said he adding that JIH is gradually expanding its approach about electoral politics. In the beginning, even voting was banned for its members. JIH lifted the ban later, he said. It decided some years ago about fielding candidates in local bodies’ election.
JIH has no presence at grass-root level, a must for a party to win in elections. With this shortcoming how can it expect public support? “How many parties are present at grass-root level, there are many parties that have just one MLA or MP,” said Hassan adding that grass-root presence is not compulsory to win elections.