Muslim bodies condemn Shiv Sena's voting remarks

LUCKNOW: Flaying Shiv Sena leader's remarks on voting rights of Muslims, two prominent Muslim bodies in the city today said that such statements will create differences between Hindus and Muslims and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clarify his stand on the issue.

Spokesman of Shia Personal Law Board Maulana Yasoob Abbas told PTI that it was right that political parties were using Muslims as vote bank, but revoking voting rights was not a solution.

"The edit written by Sanjay Raut smells of killing people to cure the disease," Abbas said.

He alleged that there were ill-intentions behind such a statement and as Shiv Sena was an ally of BJP-led NDA government, the Prime Minister should clear his stand.

"Such statements divide the country. The Constitution has given right to vote as the citizen of the country and talking about revoking the right will be injustice. It will create differences between Hindu and Muslim. It is unfortunate that ally of the PM is making such statements," Abbas said.

Member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board Maulana, an apex Muslim body, Farangi Mahali Maulana Abdul Rasheed said the Constitution has given right to all Indians to vote and it could not be revoked from the Muslims.

He termed vote bank as a word coined by the media. "The priority of every community changes with the elections, adding, earlier Hindu community voted for Congress, but now it was supporting BJP," Mahali said.

He said similarly choice of Muslims had changed with time, but to describe it as vote bank politics was not correct.

Shiv Sena had stoked a controversy over its demand that voting rights of Muslims should be revoked as the community has often been used to play vote bank politics.

The Sena also compared All India Majlis-e-Ittihadul- Muslimeen (MIM) and Owaisi brothers with "poisonous snakes" who spew venom to "exploit" the minority community.

"Vote bank politics is being played in the name of fighting against the injustice meted out to Muslims. Their educational and health status is being used politically. This politics was once played by the Congress and now every other person calls himself secular.