By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Kolkata : With an aim to approach non-Muslims on common grounds in West Bengal, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has decided to extend its support to Movement for Peace and Justice (MPJ). MPJ is an independent organization supported by the Jamaat in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. MPJ will be officially launched in the state next month.
The Jamaat is planning to mobilise people for social justice. Through MPJ, the Jamaat aims to acquire support at the grassroots level.
The state leadership of the Jamaat has been planning a mass movement for quiet some time. However, its strict guidelines have restricting it from expanding.
“The new wing has been active in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. It has found great support there and is open to people irrespective of their faith and beliefs.
While the Jamaat’s local leadership maintains that the move should not be seen as a political venture, the new group is expected to give Jamaat a substantial position during social campaigns in the state, such as the Nandigram protests.
“It is a people’s movement and intends to work for peace and human rights, Mohd Raisuddin, former state president of the Jamaat and chairman of the party’s state political cell, was quoted saying.
Unlike the Jamaat, the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind has been slowly but steadily extending its membership among minorities and underprivileged people.
The Jamiat — led by Siddiqullah Chowdhury in Bengal — has already launched a political party to make its presence felt in the state’s political arena and intends to secure the votes of minorities and backward classes.