NEW DELHI, February 9: Even as the Shahi Imam Syed Abdullah Bhukhari reportedly plans to issue a fatwa on Friday to announce the names of candidates the Muslims should vote for, a large number of Muslims in the Walled City feel that fatwa politics should end and they should be able to vote for candidates of their choice.``We are fed up of fatwa politics. Muslims, who are likely to play a key role in deciding the fortunes of many candidates, should not vote for those who have betrayed them by preventing them from joining the mainstream,'' said a Muslim resident of the Jama Masjid area.
While criticising the ``electoral tactics'' used by all major political parties to woo Muslim voters (more than 120 million in the country), a senior Muslim leader said, ``Despite the lofty promises made during the past five decades, nothing has been done for the socio-economic upliftment of the minority community.''
``As usual, the stalwarts of major political parties are leaving no stone unturned to divert our attentionfrom the real issues. But we will vote for candidates who have a good reputation, the ability and, more importantly, the courage to fight against the disruptive forces both inside and across the border,'' he added. On February 13, three days before the first phase of the polls, the Naib Imam is expected to announce fatwa on behalf of the Shahi Imam. But going by the mood of the Muslim voters, this ``will hardly prevent them to vote for the candidate of their own choice.''
Coming down heavily on fatwah politics, IFS officer-turned-politician and co-convenor of the Committee for the Defence of Secularism Syed Sahabuddin said: ``How can one issue a fatwa when one has no right to do so. Only a mufti can issue such a direction, especially in the case of divorce or other caste-related matters. The Imam has no right to issue any such direction.''
He appealed to the voters to support the strongest candidate of any party who has the best chance to win and who will defend the secular ethos of the country and thesecular character of the post-election government.
Sahabuddin further stated: ``The Imam's appeal failed to woo Muslim voters in the Delhi Municipal Corporation elections. And here we are talking about the Lok Sabha elections.''
Going by the political scenario in the Capital, Muslims seem to be against all prominent national parties. Irrespective of party affiliations, several political leaders have approached the Imams to seek their ``blessing''.
Without divulging the names of the leaders who have visited the Jama Masjid so far, a spokesman of the Jama Masjid said: ``Everything will come out on Friday. We want a stable government at this juncture, especially when the country is in a state of administrative and financial bankruptcy.''
Quoting a survey conducted by the Forum of Civil Liberties, a senior Congress leader said: ``A majority of the Muslims held under TADA are innocent.'' Calling it a `draconian Act', he further said, ``TADA was grossly misused in flagrant violation of Constitutionalprovisions and democratic rights by the various political parties to get mileage.''
According to Mohammad Yunus Siddiqui, president of the All India Babri Masjid Rebuilding Committee, no action has been taken in spite of the UF government's promise to leave no stone unturned to curb the growth of communalism. He added that, under its Common Minimum Programme, the party had assured reconstruction of Babri Masjid, action for which has not been initiated.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
