The Congress accused the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) of adopting double standard besides trying to create differences between two communities just to polarise the elections. “I don’t see any objectionable in BJP’s national president Rajnath Singh visiting houses of Muslim clerics in lucknow as in democracy every candidate is free to seek support of anyone but it showed double standard adopted by the BJP,” alleged All India Congress Committee spokesman Shakil Ahmed, who was on a day-long visit to lucknow on Tuesday.
“If any cleric went and met Congress president Sonia Gandhi to discuss the issues related to the community and later forward his support to the party, the BJP openly criticised us but now when their own president went to clerics houses, the same party defends him,” cited Ahmed while claiming that BJP has once again exposed on the issue of maintaining secular values and adopting double standard. It may be mentioned that in an apparent attempt to garner support of Muslims ahead of lok Sabha polls, the BJP president and party nominee from lucknow seat Rajnath Singh met prominent clerics of the community on Monday.
Singh, along with sitting MP lalji Tandon and Mayor Dinesh Sharma, met vice-president of the All India Muslim Personal law Board Maulana Kalbe Sadiq and Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, Maulana Hameeudul Hassan, Maulana Yasoob Abbas and Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali, party sources confirmed. On Tuesday, lalji Tandon defended Singh and said, “These are courtesy meetings. Every candidate meets prominent people of different sections of society and sought their support.” He claimed there was no political discussion at the meet during which the clerics discussed problems faced by the Muslims and emphasised on the need for special opportunity for the community in the field of education. Meanwhile taking on BJP further, Ahmed flayed the comments of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Monday in which he reportedly said that Congress has done little for welfare of the Dalits in the country than what the party did for the Muslims.
“They can criticise us for neglecting any caste or religion but making comparison between the two communities and alleging that we neglect one while favoured other is a clear case of fueling hatred between two communities,” claimed Ahmed saying that it is a violation of Model Code of Conduct as it would polarise the election. Ahmed threatened that if the Commission would not take suo-motto cognizance on the issue than the Congress would be forced to take up the matter with the Commission and seek action against Modi.