Is Ajmal’s move to contest from Silchar a pressure tactic?
By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Oct 23: The AUDF’s proposed move to put its president Badruddin Ajmal as the party candidate in Silchar Lok Sabha Constituency against Congress stalwart and Union Minister Santosh Mohon Dev has stirred up a hornet’s nest, as the Cachar unit of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind has vehemently opposed the move.
Ajmal, who is also the president of the Asom State Jamiat, is currently visiting the Barak Valley for an on-the-spot assessment of the organizational strength of his party, keeping an eye on the forthcoming parliamentary polls. According to the sources, Ajmal, in a meeting held at the Topkhana Madrassa in Silchar on October 21, himself placed the proposal of his candidature from Silchar LS seat by saying that a section of party functionaries has been putting pressure on him in this regard.
However, head of the Madrasa and president of the Cachar Jamiat Moulana Mahmud Hassan has vehemently opposed the proposal. His contention is that Ajmal’s presence as the AUDF candidate in the constituency will lead to the division of Muslim votes which will ultimately benefit the BJP. The acceptability of Santosh Mohon Dev among the Muslim voters of the constituency should be taken into consideration, he reportedly said.
The Cachar Jamiat is considered to have maintained close relation with Dev, and during the last parliamentary election it had appealed to the Muslim community of the constituency to vote for the Congress stalwart as a ‘good person.’ It has been presumed that the Jamiat will be in a fix if Ajmal goes for a direct electoral battle with Dev.
According to the sources, AUDF leaders loyal to the Naduat-ut-Tamir, a powerful organization in the Barak Valley, are putting pressure to showcase Ajmal as a candidate for the Silchar LS seat to increase the AUDF’s influence in the valley. Though Ajmal asked his Jamiat colleagues to consider his proposal, the Jamiat is still opposing the proposal, added the sources. Ajmal is scheduled to attend a meeting at Baskandi and a worker meet at Silchar tomorrow.
Meanwhile, AUDF working president Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury, while talking to The Sentinel, said: “Jamiat is an apolitical organization and AUDF is not concerned about the Jamiat’s internal differences over the proposed candidature of the AUDF president.” He said the party wants to put a strong candidate, whoever he is, against both Dev and the BJP.
However, another school of thought suggests that Ajmal and Dev, both known to be arch-rivals of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, may ultimately enter into a secret understanding to fulfil their mutual political interests. Ajmal is likely to withdraw his move for contesting from the Silchar LS constituency to ensure easy passage for Dev, in exchange of an appointment with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the school of thought suggests. The current proposal for contesting the election from Silchar is presumed to be a ‘pressure tactic’ on the part of the AUDF chief to achieve his goal of meeting the Congress president with the help of Dev. source: sentinel assam
By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Oct 23: The AUDF’s proposed move to put its president Badruddin Ajmal as the party candidate in Silchar Lok Sabha Constituency against Congress stalwart and Union Minister Santosh Mohon Dev has stirred up a hornet’s nest, as the Cachar unit of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind has vehemently opposed the move.
Ajmal, who is also the president of the Asom State Jamiat, is currently visiting the Barak Valley for an on-the-spot assessment of the organizational strength of his party, keeping an eye on the forthcoming parliamentary polls. According to the sources, Ajmal, in a meeting held at the Topkhana Madrassa in Silchar on October 21, himself placed the proposal of his candidature from Silchar LS seat by saying that a section of party functionaries has been putting pressure on him in this regard.
However, head of the Madrasa and president of the Cachar Jamiat Moulana Mahmud Hassan has vehemently opposed the proposal. His contention is that Ajmal’s presence as the AUDF candidate in the constituency will lead to the division of Muslim votes which will ultimately benefit the BJP. The acceptability of Santosh Mohon Dev among the Muslim voters of the constituency should be taken into consideration, he reportedly said.
The Cachar Jamiat is considered to have maintained close relation with Dev, and during the last parliamentary election it had appealed to the Muslim community of the constituency to vote for the Congress stalwart as a ‘good person.’ It has been presumed that the Jamiat will be in a fix if Ajmal goes for a direct electoral battle with Dev.
According to the sources, AUDF leaders loyal to the Naduat-ut-Tamir, a powerful organization in the Barak Valley, are putting pressure to showcase Ajmal as a candidate for the Silchar LS seat to increase the AUDF’s influence in the valley. Though Ajmal asked his Jamiat colleagues to consider his proposal, the Jamiat is still opposing the proposal, added the sources. Ajmal is scheduled to attend a meeting at Baskandi and a worker meet at Silchar tomorrow.
Meanwhile, AUDF working president Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury, while talking to The Sentinel, said: “Jamiat is an apolitical organization and AUDF is not concerned about the Jamiat’s internal differences over the proposed candidature of the AUDF president.” He said the party wants to put a strong candidate, whoever he is, against both Dev and the BJP.
However, another school of thought suggests that Ajmal and Dev, both known to be arch-rivals of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, may ultimately enter into a secret understanding to fulfil their mutual political interests. Ajmal is likely to withdraw his move for contesting from the Silchar LS constituency to ensure easy passage for Dev, in exchange of an appointment with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the school of thought suggests. The current proposal for contesting the election from Silchar is presumed to be a ‘pressure tactic’ on the part of the AUDF chief to achieve his goal of meeting the Congress president with the help of Dev. source: sentinel assam
3 comments:
The report you published makes a lot of guess work. First of all Ajmal is not too small a political figure in Assam to have compromised his position in contesting against SM Dev for the sake of an appointment with Sonia Gandhi - you are perhaps underestimating the strength of AUDF here. Well, you are not to be blamed for this over years of exploitation of minorities by Congress and S M Dev in Silchar - it is a normal trick for them to play the "BJP will win - vote for us to save yourselves" propaganda. And over the years Congress/SM Dev has created a group of pimps within the community who will always play the BJP-phobia card among the poor illiterate Muslims in Silchar whenever anybody will try to give him a good fight in Silchar.
But things have changed now - to get rid of S M Dev and his politics of holding Muslims by ransom Muslims will vote against him - may be in favour of BJP also this time. If Ajmal comes to Silchar it will be better otherwise any alternative candidate will get enough votes to bring S M Dev to his senses in this poll.
Just for the fear of BJP Muslims will vote for congress and after getting elected Congress will take Muslims for granted - days of such simplistic calculations are over.
Thanking you,
H H Bora
Media Coordinator
AUDF HQ / Guwahati
I think Ajmal could never win in Silchar LS as people knows him and his intention for forming a party (AUDF)to safeguard illegal migrants from bangladesh. There is no harm if anyone dreams and everyone has right to dream but Silchar is beyond his (ajmal) dream. Good luck to Ajmal
Candidates should always be judged by their performance.Why do you consider Ajmal as a candidate of Muslims?If Muslims can vote for SM Deb then why not Hindus will vote for Ajmal?One should no longer vote on fear factor.This is the high time to emphasise more on the issues related to development of concerned constituency.How long you will be befooled by foxy politicians? we need to elect some one who has the ability to represent us(silcharites) in the parliament.
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