By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net
A number of Muslim politicians have resigned from their elected positions following a series of anti-Muslim violence in the state of Maharashtra. Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) coroporators have submitted their resignation to party bosses to protest the ruling parties that have failed to protect Muslims of the state.
Advocate Maqbool Salim , the corporator from Nanded and Nanded President of the Nationalist Congress Party and Sufia Shaikh Ghani the independent corporator from Dhule, ward number 12 submitted their resignation to the Municipal Commissioner on October 14, 2008.
Talking to TwoCircles.net Advocate Maqbool Salim said that in last one month or so the state witnessed five communal riots in Pusad, Rabodi, Digras, Dhulia and Malegaon. In these riots around 100 have been killed either by the Hindutva groups who were behind the riots or by the police. What is very important is that the administration played an indifferent role in all these riots further aggravating the trauma of the Muslims.
Close to 40 corporators belonging to the two parties have resigned in the State, threatening to take Muslim votes away from the Congress and the NCP.
They took this extreme step reportedly to protest against what they see as the abysmal and unsatisfactory response of the government of the NCP-Congress alliance against the recent “pre-planned” attacks and communal riots.
There have been four riots in past two weeks in Maharashtra, Dhue was the worst hit. In the latest Dhule riots more than thousand Muslims have been affected. Business of the minorities which have been especially targeted, looted and burned. According to the estimate of local Muslims properties worth Rs. 10 crores have been destroyed.
There has been a wave of anger among the Muslims of the state against the abysmal and unsatisfactory response of the ruling Congress- NCP alliance against the recent attacks and allegedly preplanned anti-Muslim violence.
This in turn pressurized the Muslim representatives belonging to these parties to express the anger of the communities to the parties which also happen to be in power. But when the situation went out of hand and their respective parties didn’t listen to their voices they threatened the state leadership of their en masse resignation.
When TwoCircles.net asked Advocate Saleem the reason for his resignation. He pointed out that “the party of which I am the office bearer has got the Home ministry (R. R. Patil the Home minister of the state is from NCP). In spite of that the government didn’t take timely actions to stop the violence against the Muslims let alone taking action against the culprits.”
He along with other secular people went to the leadership and requested repeatedly to take actions to stop the violence immediately but even after that nothing much happened. Instead it was seen that soon after the home minister visited the affected areas the police actually increased harassment of Muslims in more severe way, he alleged.
He said that when this happens what is the point in being in the party be it the Congress or the NCP.
He said that now the Muslim corporators are resigning en masse to make the leadership of the secular parties realize the fact that it is high time they should stop taking the Muslims for granted as they too can take extreme steps and that they are loosing their Muslim votes.
He further said that he has taken this initiative to be followed by the whole Marathwada region. In Parbhani district 31 and in Hingoli district 11 corporators from NCP, Congress and other parties have resigned.
In Aurangabad six corporators resigned out of which three submitted their resignation to their parties and three to the Municipal Commissioner.
Mr. Salim said that this series of en masse resignation is an ultimatum. He said that they are waiting for responses from their parties. They are demanding compensation for those killed and injured. Government also needs to pay for the properties lost in these violence. He further demanded that the government take action against organizations behind the violence, book the culprits and ban the organizations.
The Home Minister R. R. Patil met with many Muslim corporators of NCP who submitted their resignations to the party and persuaded them to withdraw their resignation.
Meanwhile, NCP leader Naseem Siddique, who is the Chairman of the state minority commission, pointed out that the Dhule riot was not a riot. It was pre planned violence by the Bajrang Dal and VHP. He also demanded from the state government to ban these organizations.