'If Muslims Ask, I Have No Answer': Chinks in Congress Exposed After Maharashtra Leader's Letter

Maharashtra’s senior Congress leader Muhammed Arif ‘Naseem’ Khan has stepped down from the party’s campaign committee amid the Lok Sabha elections. He expressed displeasure over the party not nominating any Muslim leader in the state.

In a letter to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, he stated that he won’t campaign for the polls as the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) bloc had not fielded a candidate from the minority community.

“From total 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, MVA has not nominated a single Muslim candidate in Maharashtra,” the former state minister wrote.

“Why is there no candidate from the minority community this time? If I go to the people to canvas for votes, they will ask me questions that I don’t have answers to. Hence, I have decided not to campaign for the third, fourth and fifth phases of elections,” the Congress leader added.

The 60-year-old politician further claimed that party leaders and workers are now asking him, “Congress ko Muslim vote chahiye, candidate kyun nahi (Congress wants Muslim votes, but why not candidates).”

Later, speaking to news agency ANI, Khan said that Congress’ ideology since inception has been to take everyone along, regardless of community or caste.

“There is a lot of anger among people belonging to the minority community or associated with organisations linked with us. as there is not one Muslim (Opposition) candidate across the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. I am upset, too, as the Congress, going back to its founding days, has been known to take everyone along, regardless of whether they are Muslims, OBCs, Marathas, SCs or STs,” the Congress leader was quoted.

Reacting to Khan’s move, senior Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi said that it’s disheartening to note that the INDIA bloc did not nominate any Muslim candidates out of the 48 Lok Sabha Seats in Maharashtra. “The Congress also did not advocate for Muslim reservation during the recent 2.5 year MVA tenure,” he added.

Interestingly, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party are fighting polls in an alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Latching onto this ‘love-hate’ relationship, BJP leader Amit Malviya said that the Congress-led INDIA bloc is “playing a double game with Muslims”.

He added, “The Muslims too, like all Indians, must vote for Prime Minister Modi and the BJP.”

Sanjay Nirupam, former Congress leader who was expelled from the party recently, also expressed his displeasure and said that despite so much loyalty, Congress has not given a single Muslim candidate in this Lok Sabha election. He added that this has not happened for the first time.

Nirupam further said that people shouldn’t be surprised if in future the Maharashtra unit of Congress gets merged with Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).

Muhammed Arif Khan was eyeing a ticket from Mumbai North Central, but the Congress chose city unit president Varsha Gaikwad for the constituency. He had contested the 2019 assembly elections from Chandivali in Mumbai, where he lost by 409 votes.

On Saturday afternoon, Gaikwad was spotted at Khan’s office after his letter created a storm. Sources said that she was there to pacify him.

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