Demanding unqualified apology from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for dragging the name of Hazrat Ali (R.A) into the electoral mudslinging, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday urged country’s political parties to desist from using religion and religious personalities for political ends.Former Minster and senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar in a statement issued here has expressed deep concern at the national political discourse degenerating into an anti- Muslim discourse at present.Akhtar said that the main major parties instead of talking about governance and issues pertaining to development; convey an impression through their speeches and wide media coverage that Muslims are the only problem facing this country.It is unfortunate that at the time when unprecedented upsurge is being witnessed in unemployment and jobless, religion is taking a centre stage in the country and Muslims have been turned into punching bags.Akhtar reiterated that the entire political spectrum of India cannot wish away the 20 crore muslims from the country. "You have to learn to live with them and grant them the dignity that they deserve and desist from making them as part of your electoral strategy,” Akhtar said.
The PDP leader added that Muslims have given this country their blood and have contributed to the creation of one of the finest cultures of the world. “Such a civilisation and culture symbolises the present day India and Muslims have given a multi-cultural and multi- religious dimension first time in the history. This community is an asset for the country but unfortunately Muslims are now looked down upon as a problem and a liability. They are being converted into whipping boys every time there is an election,” Akhtar said.The PDP leader remarked that Hazrat Ali (R.A) is one of the leading lights of Islam and he is respected very highly and dragging his name into the electoral speeches is blasphemous.Akhtar said that the BJP leadership and Yogi Adityanath must offer unqualified apology for the speech in which name of Harzat Ali (R.A) was used in a bid to stoke communal passions and achieve electoral gains.On one hand, every discourse in the county is about the Muslims but on the other hand, Muslims have been completely disempowered and ejected out of the power structure.The ruling party which rules the centre and most of the states in the country do not have a single elected Muslim representative anywhere. “Besides that, the Muslims are being forced out of the civil services and other secular places places of the country, paving way for their unprecedented disempowerment,” Akhtar said.