By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: The controversial editorial in Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamna demanding revocation of voting rights of Muslims has met with sharp and vigorous criticism from different political parties.
Upset with All India Majlis-e-Ittihadul-Muslimeen (MIM) fighting by-polls in Bandra, an editorial in Saamna on Sunday ridiculed and criticized Owaisi brothers and went a step ahead in demanding revocation of voting rights of Muslims to stop vote-bank politics.
The demand posed by Shiv Sena, in its mouthpiece editorial has been strongly condemned by Congress, Samajwadi Party and MIM.
Congress said they are aimed at dividing society and inflaming passions and are unacceptable. Those behind them have no place in a culture like ours.
The Samajwadi Party castigated the remarks, saying it was aimed at creating enmity between various communities and demanded that the government initiate legal action against them. Those who do not believe in the Constitution have no place in the country and should leave it, it said.
Criticising the Sena, Congress leader Anand Sharma said, “These observations deserve to be condemned. It’s unacceptable. We are proud to be a constitutional democracy, a secular nation. We are proud of India’s diversity, its pluralism. India belongs to all and every citizen of this country enjoys the same fundamental rights.”
He said it is very clear that there are elements who are creating conflict and division in society to inflame passions and there are multiple violations taking place by some leaders and members of the extended Sangh parivar despite assurances of the Prime Minister to Parliament and the nation.
“It is for them now to realise that they have been elected to provide governance and not to create daily commotion,” he said.
Kamal Farooqui said, “The Constitution gives equal rights to every citizen without any difference of caste, creed or religion and anybody who is trying to specifically target any particular community like Muslims, this country does not belong to them.
“I very strongly say that government should take legal action against them and prosecute them. All these people who have this kind of mentality, they should go to some other country,” he said.
Another Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said the motive of such statements is to communalise the atmosphere.
“Gradually the magic of Prime Minister is going and BJP is slowly sinking much faster than the party and its allies thought and now that they are in trouble, this is the only thing that they hope will help them. Communalism helped Modi in Gujarat and helped him win the 2014 elections and that is the only thing that will help them again,” he said.
Meanwhile, MIM said that Shiv Sena is upset as it has fielded candidates for civic polls in Aurangabad from many wards including from its own bastions and hence it is issuing such statements.
Imtiyaz Jalil, MIM MLA from Aurangabad while talking with one of the TV channels, said, “If it (Shiv Sena) feels that we are utilizing Muslim vote banks then why don’t they themselves work for the welfare of all communities. If they would have worked for all section of the community the need for MIM to fight elections would not have arrived.”
“We are not Muslims party. We have many dalit faces too. The first time we won in Hyderabad we appointed Dalit as a Mayor there. Why does Shiv Sena not give tickets to Muslims?” he questioned.
On Shiv Sena’s demand for revocation of Muslims’ voting rights, he said, “They are in power if they think it is permissible to do as per constitution then they should go ahead. Actually they are worried due to emergence of MIM in Maharashtra and are apprehensive about Aurangabad civic polls where we are even fighting from their strong holds”.
Related:
Revoke Muslims’ voting right: Shiv Sena