Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | BJP-RSS wants to make politics Muslim-less in India: Muslim scholar Ziauddin Siddiqui

According to Siddiqui, over the past few years, hate speeches have increased against the Muslim community.

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Amid approaching polls in Maharashtra scholar Ziauddin Siddiqui, the President of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-based Muslim Numainda Council, an umbrella organisation of Muslim NGOs, took a swipe athe BJP-RSS, saying that the saffron camp wanted to make politics in India 'Muslim-less'.

“The BJP-RSS has made a Muslim-less government (at the Centre). Now they want to politics Muslim-less in India,” Siddiqui said during an interaction with DH in the run up to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections.

“We have six big parties in Maharashtra, however, none of the parties nominated any Muslim candidates in the Lok Sabha polls,” he said referring to Maha Yuti (NDA) and Maha Vikas Aghadi (I.N.D.I.A.).

In the Lok Sabha polls, the MVA—comprising the Congress, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and the Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT)—as well as the BJP-led coalition comprising Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP failed to nominate any Muslim candidate.

“In the Lok Sabha polls, the Muslim community has by and large supported the I.N.D.I.A. opposition bloc…we hope that the MVA puts up a large number of Muslim candidates in Vidhan Sabha polls,” Siddiqui stated.

According to him, over the past few years, hate speeches have increased against the Muslim community.

“We should have a Blasphemy Act in India so that it acts as a deterrent against people who make such hate speeches,” he said, and referred to Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj, who made objectionable comments against the Prophet.

“There are 70-odd FIRs but no action is being taken,” he said, adding that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and BJP MLA Nitesh Rane backed him. “We undertook a chain protest in Aurangabad … it was for 31 days … when the Vidhan Sabha polls were announced and the code of conduct came into force, we temporarily suspended [our protest] … when the new government comes we will again undertake the protest and urge them to take action for the blasphemous remarks made by the Ramgiri Maharaj,” he said.

He was also critical of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 which was introduced in Lok Sabha on August 8, 2024 and aims to amend the Wakf Act, 1995.