Vote responsibly: Clerics in Bengal

Kolkata: Senior clerics, civil society groups and youth forums have started an outreach cautioning people that radical minority political formations have no place in West Bengal.
Last week, senior clerics met under the leadership of Qari Fazlur Rahman, who leads Eid prayers on Red Road. “People are free to vote for anybody they want and we don’t want to influence that decision.But do remember, this time the vote will not only decide the future of the state but of millions of people staying here. There are forces that want to disturb the peace and drive a wedge among people, sowing seeds of hatred. Many people may be targeted for their religious beliefs. We must arrive at a consensus and exercise our voting right responsibly,” Rahman said.
Mohammad Yahya, head of Bengal Imam Association, tilted towards Trinamool Congress and made a public appeal last week to not vote for any outfit backed by Asaduddin Owaisi, chief of AIMIM. “Every vote to them is a vote for BJP. Why does a Hyderabadi politician become active in states only where BJP faces tough opposition in winning elections?” Yahya said.
Emboldened by the showing in Bihar polls, Owaisi last week visited Furfura Sharif in Hooghly and announced his party would contest assembly polls under the leadership of Pirzada Abbasuddin Siddiqui, who has been trying to make a political foray for some time now.
Siddiqui said he was open to aligning with outfits serious about ousting communal forces. “But they neither want to share the political space with us nor want us to create our own space. Basically, Muslims and other marginalised classes are being used as political fodder,” Siddiqui said in an oblique reference to Trinamool, which has been making veiled barbs at Owaisi’s entry into Bengal politics.
Muslims constitute almost 30% of Bengal’s population. They either hold sway or are a decisive factor in around 128 of 294 assembly segments.