The state leadership of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind is reluctant to go by what Jamiat chief Mahmood Madani said about the organisation’s attitude towards the West Bengal government and the anti-land acquisition movement.

State Jamiat secretary Siddiqullah Chowdhury has criticised some observations made by Madani in an interview with The Indian Express Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta on NDTV 24x7’s Walk The Talk. Madani had said that the Muslims were worse off in West Bengal than in any other state. “Yet we don’t want the Left Front Government to be voted out,” he said, adding that the best way to solve all problems was to talk.

Chowdhury, who has been leading the Jamiat-led anti-land acquisition front in the state and has organised a political front against the Left government, expressed unhappiness over the remarks. Asked how he responds to Madani’s stand, Chowdhury said, “Yeh unka apna comment hai (This is his personal comment). He is in the dark and unaware of the real situation here. CPI(M) is a traitor.”

“Now the SEZ regulation is under amendment. Our agitation will continue,” he said. The state Jamiat has launched a drive to rope in new members, he said.