JEDDAH, 21 May — The time has come for Indian Muslims to unite under one banner and throw out the communal government led by Atal Behari Vajpayee’s Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), according to a senior Samajwadi Party leader.
“After the Gujarat carnage and the atrocities perpetrated against Muslims, it is high time that the country’s Muslims came together to safeguard their interests,” said Abu Asim Azmi, president of Maharashtra unit of Samajwadi Party.
Talking to Arab News in an exclusive interview yesterday, Azmi said as a first step to bring the Muslims together a non-political forum was being launched in Bombay.
“On an experimental basis, the ‘Qaumi Majlis-e-Shoura’ (National Consultative Council) will be formed, consisting of Muslims from all walks of life. This body will decide what future course should be taken by Muslims,” Azmi explained.
He said whether the Council decides to launch a new party or back an existing one or whatever decision it takes would be followed. “Based on this experiment, similar Councils will be formed all over the country so that Muslims are brought together under one umbrella,” Azmi added.
He said the Gujarat riots were preplanned on the behest of the BJP government ruling the state. “Several months in advance, activists of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Barjrang Dal had come to Gujarat to sow the seed of hate against Muslims. The plan was to start the riots on March 15. Even if the Godhra incident had no taken place, they would have instigated communal riots,” he said. He said the police was actively conniving and supporting the marauder Hindus.
“The police said they were instructed to stand aside for 24 hours. Subsequent independent probes by international human rights organizations and even indigenous groups, have indicted the state government and have pointed the accusing finger at two of its ministers of being actively involved,” Azmi elaborated.
Azmi said after touring Gujarat, Vajpayee initially said the riots have made him hang his head in shame but a couple of days later in Goa he said Muslims cause trouble and riots wherever they are present.
“Vajpayee is playing the Hindutva card. He has refused to sack Chief Minister Narinder Modi. And his coalition partners — the so-called secular parties — are still supporting him and his communal government,” Azmi added. When asked who these secular parties were, Azmi named the Telugu Desam Party, Farooq Abdullah’s National Conference and the several factions of Janata Dal, among other constituents of the ruling coalition.
He said he had a CD depicting the Gujarat carnage which brings tears to the eyes of all those who watch it. “If Muslims cannot realize the need for unity now, they never will,” Azmi said emphatically.
He said in Uttar Pradesh elections Muslims did not support Samajwadi Party en bloc because they were misled by Muslim leaders. “Leaders from Milli Council, Jamiatul Ulema and All India Muslim Personal Law Board got the Muslim votes divided and that affected the overall outcome of the results,” Azmi said.
He said Congress party played a dirty role in UP and the governor, a former RSS cadre man did not invite Samajwadi Party, the single largest party in the house to form the government.
“Once Mayawati was given the green light, MLAs could be bought and horse-trading resulted in Mayawati proving her majority in the house,” he added.
Azmi who performed Umrah and prayed at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah yesterday, left for Riyadh last evening.
“I met non-resident Indians who are sympathetic to the Samajwadi Party in Jeddah and I will meet them in Riyadh. I want to enlist their support for the party because Mulayam Singh Yadav is the only Indian leader who has the interest of Muslims at heart,” he said.
