Lucknow, April 5 (IANS) Shahi Imam Ahmed Bukhari's open support to the Congress for the Lok Sabha election has drawn sharp criticism from the political parties and Muslim groups in Uttar Pradesh.
While Shia cleric Kalbe Jawwad Saturday asserted that the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slug fest has irked the minorities, National Ulema Council president Maulana Aamir Rashdi slammed the Jama Masjid Imam for "the haazri (attendance) in Sonia Gandhi's durbaar".
Bukhari should come and clear what "deal" he has struck with the Congress, Rashdi said adding the Congress is a party, which has "always ditched the Muslims".
The Muslims in the country, were not a property of Bukhari, Rashdi said urging minorities to vote as per their choice of secular candidates.
Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangimahali, a prominent Muslim voice in the state, also came down heavily on Bukhari for his appeal to the Muslims, to vote for the Congress.
"Such calls to vote on religious lines hurt the democracy" Farangimahali told IANS adding in any case, the Muslims were not obliged to follow the political diktats of Bukhari.
"In the past, the Imam has sided with the BJP and the SP, I am sure the Muslims know what are the problems dear to them and would vote accordingly," he said.
Political parties including the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party (SP) have also decried Bukhari for announcing his support Friday to the Congress.
Uttar Pradesh Urban development and Minority Affairs Minister Azam Khan urged Bukhari to rethink on his decision.
Bukhari has extended his support to the SP in the 2012 state assembly election and appealed to the Muslims to vote for Mulayam Singh Yadav's party.
Weather Update: Many states are in the grip of severe cold and dense fog, further drop in temperature from January 5 may increase the problem.
North-west and eastern India are in the grip of severe cold and dense fog. It is extremely cold from Jammu and Kashmir to Bihar and Punjab, from Haryana to eastern Uttar Pradesh. The mercury dropped
Now people of India will also be able to travel to space: ISRO is preparing space tourist flight; There will be 3 trials by the end of the year
The people of the country are soon going to get a chance to travel to space. For this, ISRO is preparing a space tourist flight.
Children not interested in meditation: 80% of school children in the UK become bored, while 4 out of 5 teachers benefit from it
Meditation classes were started for UK school children facing depression. This is called mindfulness training. In this, special classes were kept for the children to keep their minds focused. But when
PM Modi spoke to the rescue workers who returned from Turkey, and said - India's identity as a self-reliant and selfless country
Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force, who arrived to assist in rescue operations following the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, have returned to India. Prime Minister Narendra
Time PM walked the talk on religious freedom: Christian community
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) The Delhi Catholic Archdiocese Tuesday said the Christian community was in a state of shock over RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's comment on Mother Teresa and that it was time
Congratulations! Rashmika Mandanna announces her engagement; will she become Vijay Deverakonda's bride this month?
After South, Rashmika Mandanna is now proving her acting prowess in Bollywood as well. Following her Diwali release, "Chhava," her Diwali release, "Thama," is also earning well at the box office.
COVID-19: Be careful even if there is an infection with mild symptoms, this health problem is seen in 77% of people
The threat of coronainfection has continued worldwide for more than four years. So far, more than 70.28 crore people have been affected by the infection, and 69.80 lakh people have died due to the
Will the JPC probe into Facebook dispute? Former RSS ideologue Govindacharya also advocated with Congress-Left
Facebook has come under target due to a Wall Street Journal news. Govindacharya, former thinker of Congress, Marxist Communist Party (CPI) as well as RSS, demanded a probe from the Joint Parliamentary
New Rules: From UPI to LPG gas prices... what will change from today? Know the answer to every question here
Every month brings new changes. In this sequence, today i.e. from August 1, some such rules are also changing which can have a direct impact on you. These changes include many important changes in
Jahangirpuri Riots: After the violence in Jahangirpuri, the situation is under control, and a team of forensics is on the spot for investigation.
After the violence in Delhi's Jahangirpuri on Saturday evening on Hanuman Janmotsav, the situation is normal on Monday, but tension can still be seen. Delhi Police personnel along with other security
