Muslims account for more than 20 % of population in more than 120 parliamentary constituencies every one talks about justice but for Muslims their is no end to injustice THEY may not accept it on the face, but almost all political parties have lined up at the door of clerics in Uttar Pradesh in this poll season.
AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal became the latest in this bandwagon to reach out to the Muslim religious leaders on the first day of his campaign in Varanasi on Tuesday.
The AAP convener met Shahar- e- Kazi Maulana Ghulam Yasir in Varanasi’s congested by- lane of Tilbhandeshwar and sought his support in the Lok Sabha elections. Given that 30 per cent urban and 18 per cent overall voters of the sari weavers’ ( julahas ) town consist of Muslims, Kejriwal’s visit to the cleric comes as no surprise.
But what caught the notice of the people is Kejriwal’s remark that there was no communal undertone in his meeting with the maulana.
“ The country is passing through a critical situation.
While the political class is trying to divide the country on sectarian line, nobody is willing to provide a corruption- free system. We are fighting against this situation. There is nothing communal about it ( the visit),” Kejriwal told reporters. The move assumes significance as 30 per cent of the urban and 18 per cent overall voters of Varanasi consist of Muslims.
Later, Yasir indicated his support to the AAP. “ While there is no question of supporting Modi in Varanasi, we are convinced with Kejriwal.
Whatever he did to reduce the water and power tariffs during less than two months of his rule in Delhi was worth appreciating. We wish him all the best in Varanasi and hope that he will continue trying to change the system in the country,” the Shahar- e- Kazi told reporters.
On Tuesday, Congress candidate Rita Bahuguna Joshi met Maulana Shahabuddin Madani in Lucknow and held a meeting with other clerics at his residence. “ The Muslims of Lucknow will never support the BJP. They are with the Congress, which stands for inclusive politics,” she said.
BJP president Rajnath Singh met several Muslim clerics in Old Lucknow on Monday night. Shia clerics Maulana Kalbe Jawwad and Kalbe Sadiq welcomed Rajnath at their residences.
Rajnath also met Sunni cleric Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangimehli.