By Mohd Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net,
Lucknow: The All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) on Tuesday faxed representations to various political parties demanding share for Shia Muslims in elections. The AISPLB even announced to support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if it fulfills their demand for tickets to Shia Muslims.
Members of Shia community at a conference in Lucknow in Oct. 2009 [Photo by TCN]
“We will support BJP if they accept our demands. It is based on give and take formula. We want upliftment of the Shia community at any cost,” said spokesperson, AISPLB, Maulana Yasoob Abbas on Tuesday. The board in a two-page written statement to all the parties including Congress, BJP, Left, Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has mentioned that Shia Muslims are minority within the Muslims. “Any scheme for welfare or share in power is gobbled up by the majority community (read Sunni). We do not have proper representation in any ministry or political power and thus are most backward,” said Abbas.
Terming the Shia community as nationalist in their approach, Yasoob mentioned that the Shias have fielded candidates against MA Jinnah in Mumbai and Ch Khaleqquzaman in Lucnkow thus rejecting the two nation theory. “We were always in the forefront during the freedom struggle and have sacrificed our lives and wealth for the nation. We want justice and our share which is overlooked as we are not concentrated in one part but scattered,” he said.
To recall, the annual session of the AISPLB held at Sultanul Madaris on March 12 and 13, 2011 in Lucknow had raised the demand for reservation of separate electorate constituencies for the Shias. The AISPLB also mentioned that till the reservation of constituencies is not done proper representation should be done by all political parties by giving tickets to the Shias.