Maulana Mehmood Madani, General Secretary, Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind
An influential Muslim cleric's appeal to "secular parties" not to seek his community's vote "by showing fear of someone" is being interpreted as a reference to Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate.
Maulana Mahmood Madani, who heads the Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind, said in a TV interview today, "In the next election, political parties should not try to seek our votes by showing fear of someone, on a negative plank." Parties, he said, must instead outline their plans to ensure "equal opportunity" for the community.
But he has also asserted that he has been misquoted in media reports that said he had accused the Congress of using the Modi bogey to scare Muslims into voting for the ruling party in the next elections.
Mr Modi's secular credentials are questioned by his critics, who accuse him of being divisive and of not doing enough to prevent the riots of 2002 in Gujarat, in which hundreds of Muslims were killed under his watch.
Rival parties like the Congress and the Samajwadi Party reportedly see in his being named the BJP's presumptive prime minister, an opportunity to polarize Muslim votes.
The Congress has demanded that the cleric withdraw his statement. "Madani's remarks that the Muslims would cast their votes out of fear for someone amounts to insulting them. Muslims are not scared of anyone. Madani belongs to a secular outfit and must not say such things," Congress spokesperson Meem Afzal said.
The BJP is delighted. The party's Meenakshi Lekhi said today, "I respect Mr. Madani on this statement...Madani ji is a free individual; he is not a part of BJP."
She also said, "The fact is that the maximum riots have taken place in Congress-ruled areas and the Congress has been responsible for this. The Muslims of Gujarat are completely aware of this and even cast their votes to BJP."
The Maulana had courted criticism in February this year when he said in another TV interview that Muslims in Gujarat had voted for Mr Modi in the last assembly elections. He had also said that members of his community seemed to be faring better in Gujarat than in other states like Maharashtra and West Bengal.
The Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind is one of the oldest and most influential Islamic organisations in India.