Speaking on The Debate with Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami Friday, Mumbai-based Islamic scholar Mufti Mansoor Ziyaee accused the erstwhile Uddhav Thackeray led-Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of colluding with Mumbai-based terrorist organisations. The Sufi scholar added that the former Maharashtra government has never supported those who have spoken against terrorism.
The panel on Republic TV was debating the recent controversy over the grave beautification of Yakub Memon, the convicted terrorist in the 1993 Mumbai bombings case when Mufti Mansoor Ziyaee levelled some serious allegations against the erstwhile Shiv Sena government in the state. He accused accusing it of extending support to ‘anti-national forces’ and using Muslims only as a vote bank.
At around 25.00-minutes into the debate, he said, “the previous MVA government used to work with all the terrorist organisations. They refused to support those who spoke against terrorism. Everybody in the world knows that I always speak against terrorism.
“I say this with full responsibility that the kind of atmosphere the MVA has created both in the state, as well as the country, needs to be looked into. These people have made it difficult for us to live, for people like us who always speak against terrorism, that is how MVA removed our security. They use us Muslims as a vote bank, just to get votes. These people are supporting the anti-nationals, who are breaking the unity of this Nation. Because of them, we face problems in the country,” the Islamic scholar added.
During the show, the media outlet also revealed photos of Yakub Memon’s kin Rauf Memon with several MVA government ministers. In the pictures, Rauf Memon is seen meeting NCP’s Nawab Malik and Aslam Shaikh of Congress. While Malik was the Minority Affairs Minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led government, Shaikh handled the portfolios of Ports, Fisheries and Textiles.
Rauf allegedly threatened a former trustee of the Juma Masjid Of Bombay Trust on behalf of Tiger Memon to construct a permanent Yakub grave, failing which he would be ‘made to disappear.’
Uddhav Thackeray govt accused of glorifying 1993 Mumbai bomb blast convict Yakub Memon
On September 7, a political controversy erupted after BJP leader Ram Kadam shared images of the grave of the Islamic terrorist at Mumbai’s Bada Qabrastan, saying that the terrorist’s grave was beautified when the MVA government was in power. He had added that the leaders of the MVA alliance parties, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the people of India for allowing a convicted terrorist and traitor’s grave to be glorified.
उधव ठाकरे मुख्यमंत्री थे .उस क़ाल में मुंबई में पाकिस्तान के इशारे पर 1993 में बंबकांड करने वाला ख़ूँख़ार आतनवादी याकूब मेमन की कबर मझार में तब्दील हो गयी .
— Ram Kadam (@ramkadam) September 7, 2022
यही है इनका मुंबई से प्यार , यही इनकी देश भक्ती ?
उधव ठाकरे समेत शरद पवार तथा राहुल गांधी माफ़ी माँगे मुंबई की जनता की pic.twitter.com/TAQNhBb36G
Since the photographs surfaced, the former Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has been under fire for beautifying the tomb of terrorist Yakub Memon.
Who was Yakub Memon?
Yakub Memon was convicted for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts and was sentenced to death. In 2015, the death sentence was carried out after his mercy petition was rejected. He was buried on July 30, 2015, at Bada Cemetery in South Mumbai. Yakub was the only convict awarded the death penalty. An attempt is now being made to turn Yakub’s grave into a tomb. LED lights have reportedly been put on this marble-covered grave. It is guarded 24 hours a day.
