On the eve of the Delhi assembly elections, the mosques in the riot-hit Seelampur and Okhla have urged Muslims to vote in large numbers on Saturday, reports Hindustan Times. These are the very areas where Muslim mobs had gone on a rampage and caused riots as a result of their opposition to CAA. It is also worthy to note that Congress and AAP leaders were booked for the anti-CAA riots in these areas by Muslim mobs.
During the weekly Friday namaz at the Idgah mosque in northeast Delhi’s Jafarabad, the Muslim clerics have been urging Muslim voters to go in large numbers and cast their votes during the Delhi elections, presumably, to defeat BJP.
Following an incident on Friday in which two gunmen allegedly fired four rounds near a shop in the area, the Imam has urged people to make sure that they vote, adding that residents in the locality which come under the riot-hit Seelampur constituency should not be deterred by such “gunfire incidents”.
Though no person was injured in the firing, the local Muslims have now decided to vote in large numbers for reasons that range from education to civic issues.
Read: Shaheen Bagh: Children campaigning for AAP candidate Amanatullah Khan amidst Biryani feast
“We will not be scared. We will vote in large numbers because our children need a better education. We need a leader who can make that possible,” said 43-year-old Rabia Khan, a resident of New Seelampur locality, where Muslim mobs had gone on a rampage during the anti-CAA protests.
“We also expect that this election brings an end to sewer problems and we start getting cleaner water in our neighbourhood,” said Intekhab Khan, 60, a resident of Jafarabad in Seelampur constituency.
In the run-up to the Delhi Assembly polls, Muslim-dominated areas of Seelampur saw unprecedented violence led by Muslim mobs to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Even Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, which comes under the Okhla constituency in East Delhi parliamentary segment, was one of the epicentres of the anti-CAA riots.
Residents across localities in Okhla also claimed that they too would vote in large numbers – some of them said that they would keep in mind a ‘national crisis’ in the light of the anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh, others claimed that they would vote to register their protest against the Shaheen Bagh protest.
“People are anxious across the nation with citizenship law and related issues. It is important to vote and people understand that better today,” said 25-year-old Amreen, a corporate executive who lives in Abul Fazl Enclave, a locality in Okhla constituency.
Interestingly, Hindu voters have expressed that they would vote to clear out ‘protestors’ who have blocked roads and have caused huge inconvenience to citizens of the Delhi. Sahi Ram, 47, a resident of Madanpur Khadar in Okhla constituency, said, “These are strange times. A group of people have blocked an arterial road for nearly two months now. We need to vote for a leader who can assert that there is no place for such anarchy.”
Nusrat Shaheen, a resident of Shaheen Bagh, said this is an election for “basic needs” more than anything else. 32-year-old Zakiya Irfan pointed towards overflowing drains and broken roads in the locality, said “Who is supposed to fix this? The person who is voted to power. We will vote in large numbers,” said Irfan.
Delhi was the epicentre of the anti-CAA riots, which later spread to different parts of the country. The Muslim mob in Delhi’s Seelampur had unleashed the violence against public infrastructure and pelted stones at the police injuring many of them. The violent protestors had even attacked school buses in Delhi’s Seelampur area.
Read: Delhi elections: AAP leader Abdul Rehman, an accused in anti-CAA riots, to contest from Seelampur
Shockingly, the announcements to gather the Muslim mob to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act was reportedly made on loudspeakers of the nearest mosques in Delhi’s Seelampur.
There have been serious allegations against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP for instigating riots in Delhi by inciting Muslim mobs against the Modi government ahead of the Delhi assembly elections under the guise of protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act, which has nothing to do with Indian Muslims.
Shockingly, Aam Aadmi Party led by Arvind Kejriwal has given tickets to people who are associated with instigating riots in Delhi during the anti-CAA riots. AAP has fielded Abdul Rehman to contest from New Delhi’s Seelampur constituency in upcoming elections. Rehman along with ex-Congress MLA Mateen Ahmed have been named in an FIR by Delhi Police for ‘provoking the crowd’ to join the protests.
Further, Okhla AAP candidate Amanatullah Khan had openly stood with Jamia Nagar protestors which turned violent in December. Later, an FIR was also filed against him for instigating violence through social media.
In an inflammatory speech on December 15 at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, Khan had attacked the BJP government for enacting the Citizenship Amendment Act by claiming that it was discriminatory for Muslims of the country. Khan had also alleged that the silence of Muslims on the Triple Talaq Act was taken as their weakness by the central government.
The speech which was attended by thousands of impassioned people gathered to protest against the CAA was allegedly delivered just minutes before the violence broke out on the streets of Delhi. Later videos also emerged in which AAP leader Amanatullah Khan was seen standing alongside Shaheen Bagh mastermind Sharjeel Imam who is accused of pushing secessionist agenda.
