India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI—Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani has expressed support for Rahul Gandhi’s speech as Leader of Opposition in Parliament, particularly his stance against violence and hatred, emphasizing that no religion supports such actions.
In a statement issued to the media, Maulana Madani highlighted the continuous issue of mob lynching in India and criticized the lack of strict legal measures to prevent it, despite the Supreme Court’s directives. He praised Rahul Gandhi for raising his voice against violence and hoped other opposition leaders would follow suit.
Maulana Madani also reflected on the political landscape, noting the recent election results as a rejection of sectarianism and hatred, attributing this to conscious voting by minorities, especially Muslims. He stressed the importance of protecting the constitution and democracy, urging secular parties to fight for Muslim rights.
JUH leader pointed out the declining representation of Muslims in Parliament and Assemblies due to reserved constituencies and called for addressing this issue to enhance Muslim representation. He concluded by urging secular parties to uphold democracy and secularism by implementing the directive principles of the Constitution faithfully.
He emphasized that religion promotes humanity, tolerance, love, and unity and that those who spread hatred and violence cannot be true followers of their faith. He called on sensible people to oppose such individuals.
Maulana Madani lamented the prevalence of religiously motivated violence globally, including in India. He reiterated that Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has consistently advocated for love, tolerance, and unity. He condemned mob lynching, describing it as a brutal form of violence that persists despite existing laws and Supreme Court directives. He called for stricter laws to prevent such incidents and criticized the government’s lack of serious action.
Following recent mob lynching incidents in Odisha and Aligarh, Maulana Madani urged opposition leaders to pressure the government for stricter laws. He praised Rahul Gandhi for boldly speaking against violence and hatred in his first speech as Leader of the Opposition and expressed hope that other opposition leaders would do the same.
Maulana Madani noted that Muslims, who once fought alone for their protection, are now fighting for the Constitution, democracy, and their rights. He credited conscious voting by minorities, especially Muslims, for the recent election results that rejected sectarianism and hatred. He urged parties, particularly the Congress, to protect the constitution and democracy and to fight for the rights of their voters, especially Muslims.
He praised Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav for their commitment to secularism during the recent elections, which earned the trust and support of secular-minded voters. Despite efforts since 2014 to neutralize the Muslim vote, Muslims united in the recent elections to support secularism, democracy, and the constitution. This unity forced sectarian media and analysts to acknowledge the Muslim vote’s impact.
Maulana Madani criticized the increasing religious extremism and communal alignment, which marginalized Muslims in society and politics. Despite this, Muslims demonstrated their patriotism by voting against sectarianism and hatred to protect the Constitution, eradicate hatred, and promote love.
Expressing concern over the declining representation of Muslims in Parliament and Assemblies, Maulana Madani attributed this to the reservation of Muslim-majority constituencies for SC and ST. He cited the 2006 Ranganath Mishra Commission’s recommendations for revising these constituencies to increase Muslim representation, which were ignored.
Maulana Madani called on secular parties to fight for Muslim rights both inside and outside Parliament to uphold the constitution and democracy. He emphasized that democracy and secularism can only be preserved by faithfully implementing the directive principles of the Constitution.
