Imams and clerics of TMC ruled West Bengal under the banner of All India Milli Council have reportedly written 10,000 letters to Muslim voters of West Bengal to vote unitedly as a bloc and choose a ‘secular government’ over ‘communal forces’.
The letters have been sent by the state chapter of All India Milli Council, signed by Qari Fazlur Rahman, the imam who leads Eid namaz at Red Road, the highest conglomeration of Muslims for Eid namaz and Maulana Shafique Qasmi, imam of Nakhoda Masjid. While Rahman is the president of the council’s Bengal chapter, Qasmi is the vice-president.
The letters urge Muslim voters in West Bengal to “not make a mistake” in 2019. It also urges Muslim voters to not let their votes get divided and vote for a candidate of “secular parties” who has the highest chance of winning from their constituency. They urge Muslim voters to not let their votes divide lest it benefits “fascist forces”.
“We’ve appealed to Muslims to use the opportunity carefully so that no communal force in the country can raise its head and a secular force is voted to power,” Rahman told DNA
Talking to DNA, when asked about who among the “secular parties” should Muslims choose in West Bengal, the Imam said that in West Bengal, it is the ruling TMC party that has the maximum chance of winning and so, Muslims should not split their vote by voting for other ‘secular’ parties that don’t have a chance as this would help ‘fascist forces’.
Reportedly, the Mili Council is writing such letters in all states urging Muslims to vote en masse for “secular” forces. They are also using sermons and meetings to drill the point across to the Muslim electorate.
“Last time we saw how the division of Muslim votes helped fascist forces come to power. We are asking Muslims not to waste their vote and make it count. Fascist forces are damaging the secular structure of the country, where Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians live side by side”, Imam said speaking to Indian Express.
While the letter itself does not mention any political party, in the comment made to DNA and otherwise, it is evident that Mili Council in West Bengal is batting for “secular” TMC against “communal” BJP.
The Imams of West Bengal have always issued ridiculous statements. In 2017, Shahi Imam of West Bengal had offered a reward to anyone who would shave PM Modi’s head and beard.
