By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Emerged as a strong Muslim group in Eastern Uttar Pradesh with bagging more than 2.25 lac votes in the recent Lok Sabha elections, Ulema Council has launched its political front, and is set to contest the coming Assembly elections in the state.
“We have launched Rashtriya Ulema Council as a political party. We are at a very comfortable footing (after the election results) and we are consolidating ourselves in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. We are preparing ourselves to contest Assembly elections in the state,” said Dr Tasleem Rahmani, organizing secretary of the political outfit, talking to TwoCircles.net.
Rashtriya Ulema Council was launched on 15th May, a day before the results of the Lok Sabha elections were announced. They are in the process of getting registration from the Election Commission. Ulema Council, however, will remain as the parent body of the political party.
“I am of the firm opinion that Ulema Council must exist as an independent body of Ulema belonging to each and every sect of Islam, and that body must be a parent body of its newly launched independent political party,” says Dr Rahmani who was Ulema Council candidate in Jaunpur Lok Sabha constituency. He polled 51278 votes and came fourth in the race for the seat by 16 candidates.
The Azamgarh-based Ulema Council was formed in the backdrop of the infamous Batla House encounter in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar in September 2008. It was formed to tap the anger of Azamgarh Muslims over the implication of its dozens of youths in terror blasts in the country.
The Council fielded six independent candidates in this Lok Sabha election in eastern Uttar Pradesh. They bagged 2,17,444 votes together. Three of them got 4th position in their constituencies.
Excerpts of an interview with Dr Tasleem Rahmani on Ulema Council’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections and future planning:
Performance of Ulema Council in Lok Sabha elections
Quite satisfactory. In just three months campaigning we were able to get about 2.25 lac votes. We got 75% of Muslim votes polled. It is very good and encouraging.
Why people voted for Ulema Council?
Nobody was assured that Ulema Council was going to win elections, yet they voted for it. They wanted to show their strength. They wanted to show their unity for a political force.
Issues raised in the campaigns
Fake issue of terrorism, fallout of faulty counterterrorism policies of the centre and some state governments, discriminatory attitude of governments towards general public including minorities, and lack of infrastructure—water, electricity, job, education
Do you regret helping unwittingly BJP in Azamgarh?
I do not regret at all because we are not responsible for division of secular votes. For the BJP win in Azamgarh the very political parties which call themselves secular are responsible. They call themselves secular but never get united to keep away communal forces.
Polarizing Muslims helped polarize Hindu votes?
We are doing politics and on the first step we have to polarize our vote chunk. Only then can others feel our political force and join it. It is not true that Hindu votes polarized against Ulema Council. In fact we got their votes also. Had it been the case, BJP would have won all seats.