Shahi Imam Jama Masjid Delhi and patron UP United Democratic Front Syed Ahmad Bukhari said there is no political party in the country, the politics of which does not move round Muslims; and despite this Indian Muslims have been thrown to the cauldron of backwardness.
Addressing a meeting held in support UP UDF candidate Ali Ahmad at Naugarh on April 21, Bukhari said, without naming BJP, there is a party which practices anti-Muslim policy while the other parties play with Muslim votes. “The parties playing with Muslim votes are in fact responsible for the backwardness of the community,” he added.
In his first ever address in East Uttar Pradesh, Shahi Imam observed, “Our fight is with the political parties which seek power on Muslim votes; for these parties always exploit Muslims to the hilt by raising soppy slogans.”
On political parties’ “defeat BJP” call, Bukhari said these parties raise this slogan just to involve the Muslims in fear psychosis at places where they are in considerable numbers but do not raise it at places where non-Muslims are in majority.
To make his point home, he referred to the last Assembly election in Gujarat where these parties, which had no say in the State, fielded their candidates so that Narendra Modi might win the polls.