FILE photo: Syed Ahmed Bukhari, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid
Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party or NCP, a key Congress ally, today spoke out against political parties wooing religious leaders. This comes just a day after the Congress received a controversial backing from one of the country's most prominent religious Muslim leaders for the national election which begins on Monday.
"Political parties feel they can benefit in terms of votes by approaching religious leaders... religious leaders feel they can benefit as well... but this is not true in either way... and this isn't proper... This should not happen," NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said today.
Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi, had declared his support for the Congress yesterday, saying, "The nation is in danger from communal forces. We should ensure secular votes are not divided."
Earlier this week, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had met the Imam and reportedly asked him to ensure the minority vote in India is not split.
"Bukhari cannot be said to wield much influence on Muslims. He had earlier supported the Samajwadi Party and also created Atal Himaayat Manch for the BJP," Mr Malik said, suggesting that the Imam had a history of switching allegiances and hence, could not be taken seriously.
In 2004, a newspaper report had indicated that the Imam had endorsed the BJP. A senior BJP leader in charge of that election campaign, however, said the top cleric never made a public statement or conveyed his support to the party. In the next general election in 2009, the Imam emphatically and openly backed the Congress.
"Political parties feel they can benefit in terms of votes by approaching religious leaders... religious leaders feel they can benefit as well... but this is not true in either way... and this isn't proper... This should not happen," NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said today.
Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi, had declared his support for the Congress yesterday, saying, "The nation is in danger from communal forces. We should ensure secular votes are not divided."
Earlier this week, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had met the Imam and reportedly asked him to ensure the minority vote in India is not split.
"Bukhari cannot be said to wield much influence on Muslims. He had earlier supported the Samajwadi Party and also created Atal Himaayat Manch for the BJP," Mr Malik said, suggesting that the Imam had a history of switching allegiances and hence, could not be taken seriously.
In 2004, a newspaper report had indicated that the Imam had endorsed the BJP. A senior BJP leader in charge of that election campaign, however, said the top cleric never made a public statement or conveyed his support to the party. In the next general election in 2009, the Imam emphatically and openly backed the Congress.
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