By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,
New Delhi: While more than two dozen Muslim political parties are contesting the current Lok Sabha elections, most of them in the Hindi belt, South India’s Popular Front of India (PFI), the group which has significant presence in three southern states, thinks it safe to defer its poll decision.
Talking to TwoCircles.net, PFI chairman E M Abdur Rahiman said that though they recognize the importance of politics and believe that politics is an important aspect of Muslim empowerment but they are not yet ready for the elections.
In a statement issued today, PFI’s National Executive Council called upon “all organizations, institutions and leaders of Muslims and other backward communities to jointly field a common candidate against the major political parties or political fronts” in seats where they can play decisive role. Abdur Rahiman called it ‘positive politics,’ as opposed to the ‘negative politics’ which is a tactical voting to defeat BJP candidates.
He alleged that “the mainstream party politics in India throughout the past six decades has failed to provide equal empowerment to all classes of citizens in India,” resulting in marginalization of Muslims and other backward classes.
PFI had organized a National Political Conference at Calicut from 13 to 15 February 2009. The conference was supposed to be the precursor of the launch of a national level political party. Though PFI has not given up the dream of a national political party but as of now it seems they are not ready to jump into the election fray.
For the coming Lok Sabha elections, PFI is working on the strategy to develop consensus candidates in seats where Muslims votes can be decisive. Abdur Rahiman said that after the polls they will start working for the next Lok Sabha elections.