By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: Several leaders from different political parties, including Asaduddin Owaisi, the AIMIM president, on Monday condemned Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut for demanding revocation of Muslims’ voting rights.
Raut, Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP and editor of party’s mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ had in Sunday’s piece demanded revocation of Muslims voting rights as the community has often been used to play vote bank politics.
(Credit: newsx.com/)
Reacting to Raut’s demand, Owaisi told PTI that the BJP cannot distance itself from Raut’s statement and asked it to take action against the Sena leader. “Raut has no right whatsoever to seek such a revocation for any Indian. He has no right whatsoever, leave aside Muslims,” Owaisi said.
“The real agenda of fascist Hindu forces is being exposed now. Their ideology is to promote hatred. Shiv Sena is not just an ally of BJP, but they are sharing power. Now, does the ruling party (BJP) share the same views?” he questioned.
“BJP cannot disassociate saying it’s an individual opinion and Raut is a fringe element. They should take action. He is not a fringe element. He is the main element. When PM speaks at a UN forum, their ally speaks like this?” he fumed.
Owaisi also said that going with the demand posed by Raut in ‘Saamna’ the voting rights of even Union Ministers Najma Heptulla and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi should be revoked, which will be an embarrassment to them.
Talking with a TV news channel, Shahnawaz Hussain, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson, slammed Shiv Sena and said that the Constitution of India has given everyone the right to vote. “The BJP believes in ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. No one can deprive anyone from casting his/her vote. The Muslims in India consider the country their motherland,” he said.
Condemning the statement, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav told ANI, “It is a habitual thing for Shiv Sena to do. They always make communal statements.”
Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi also said that what Shiv Sena is demanding is against the Constitution. “Fortunately, it is not possible to do things that Shiv Sena is suggesting,” he was quoted by ANI.
The NCP too condemned Shiv Sena on Sunday alleging that the Sena wanted to end democracy and bring in the rule of German dictator Adolf Hitler. “To snatch away the right of voting from the Muslims is a threat to the democracy. If voting rights of the special sections are snatched away, it only indicates that they want to end the democracy and bring in the Hitler’s rule and the people will not accept it,” NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik told the media.
Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar accused the Shiv Sena of trying to divide the nation. “India has the second largest population of Muslims in the world and in a couple of decades, we will have highest number of Muslims in the world. We should be proud of it. Shiv Sena is trying to divide the nation, they want to break it into pieces,” Aiyar said.
Muslim leaders’ reactions
Many Muslim leaders have come out strongly against Sena MP’s controversial editorial piece and have demanded action against him.
Two prominent Muslim bodies in Lucknow on Monday said such statements will create differences between Hindus and Muslims and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clarify his stand on the issue. “The edit written by Sanjay Raut smells of killing people to cure the disease,” spokesman of Shia Personal Law Board Maulana Yasoob Abbas told PTI. He alleged that there were ill-intentions behind such a statement and as Shiv Sena was an ally of BJP-led NDA government, the Prime Minister should clear his stand.
“Such statements divide the country. The Constitution has given the right to vote as the citizen of the country and talking about revoking the right will be injustice. It will create differences between Hindu and Muslim. It is unfortunate that the ally of the PM is making such statements,” Abbas said.
Maulana Farangi Mahali Maulana Abdul Rasheed, member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, an apex Muslim body, said the Constitution has given right to all Indians to vote and it could not be revoked from the Muslims. He termed “vote bank” as a word coined by the media.
“The priority of every community changes with the elections,” he said, adding, earlier Hindu community voted for Congress, but now it is supporting the BJP. Mahali said, similarly, choice of Muslims had changed with time, but to describe it as vote bank politics was not correct.
Maulana Mahmood Daryabadi, general secretary of All India Ulama Council, reacted furiously and said, “Balasaheb Thackarey’s voting rights were revoked by the Supreme Court. Raut should know this. How can he demand for revocation of Muslims’ voting rights when Muslims are living here since years and will die here?”
Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind took strict notice of the editorial piece and demanded action against Sanjay Raut.
Maulana Mustaqeem Azmi, president of Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra said, “Defeat of Sena is apparent in Bandra by-polls and hence they are pouring their anger against Muslims. Muslims turn out in very less number during elections, if Muslims vote cent percent then Sena will know the actual power of Muslims’ voting.”
Dr Abdur Rahman Anjariya, member of Jama Masjid Mashawarati Council said that they are drafting a petition that will be filed against such editorial piece by Shiv Sena before the Bombay High Court. “Shiv Sena is attempting to divide the society and their demand is completely against the Constitution. We have decided to send legal notice to Raut and shall file petition before the High Court”, he said.
Complaint Lodged
Meanwhile, Hindustan Times has reported that a complaint has been lodged with the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) against the Shiv Sena MP. Delhi-based lawyer and civil rights activist Shehzad Poonawalla filed the complaint with the NCM.
In his petition to the Commission, Poonawalla said: “The footage and report provided (in his petition), clearly show that Sanjay Raut advocates the revocation of voting rights for Muslims in India. This similar demand of disenfranchisement of Muslims in India had been made by Subramanian Swamy in 2011 and the Commission had sought penal action against the former.”
“It is in flagrant violation of the Constitutional Guarantee of Right to Freedom of Religion and the Right to Vote granted to every citizen irrespective of his race, religion, caste, class and creed and also of section 153 (A), 295 (A), 298, 504, 505 (1) (b) and (c), 505 (2) of IPC 1860 and amounts to deliberately, intentionally and maliciously outraging the religious feelings, inciting hatred and ill-will amongst communities,” the petition stated.
Related:
Shiv Sena draws ire for editorial in Saamna calling for revocation of Muslims’ voting rights