An embarrassed Samajwadi Party suspended its Maharashtra unit vice president Mohammed Farooq Ghosi from the party on Saturday, after he created a major flutter in the State political circles, by rooting for a Rajya Sabha nomination to 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon’s wife Raheen.
A day after he shot off letter to SP’s national president Mulayam Singh Yadav recommending Rajya Sabha nomination to Raheen Memon on compassion grounds, an irked State party president Abu Azmi suspended Ghose from the party for “anti-party” activities and served a show-cause notice on the latter asking why he should not be expelled from the party.
Coming as it did a day after Yakub was hanged to death at the Nagpur Central Prison, Ghose’s act of pandering to the wife of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts had come in for severe flak from the BJP, Shiv Sena and Congress.
Describing Raheen as a helpless woman who had suffered quite a lbot in her life, Ghosi stated in his letter to the SP president: “Raheen was in jail for many years. She has suffered quite a lot...Today I find Raheen helpless and there are many such Muslims in the country who find themselves helpless and for whom we have to fight for. We should make Raheen a Rajya Sabha MP and make her the voice of weak and helpless people.”
Confirming that he had ordered the suspension of Ghose from the party, Azmi said that the State party vice president had not consulted him before taking such stand. “Whatever he has done is to merely grab limelight. Any party functionary has to consult his party president before making such statements in the media. We have suspended him for anti-party activities. He will be served a show-cause notice and asked to explain his stand,” the State SP chief said.
On his part, Ghose clarified that he had not made any statement in the media. “Through a letter the party’s national president, I have expressed heart-felt feelings. I stand by the contents of my letter. I continue to draw inspiration from Mulayam Singh, who says that he or she should express their feelings fearlessly,” Ghose said.
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena came down heavily on Ghose for his “irresponsible” act of demanding Rajya Sabha nomination to Raheen Memon. “Ghose belongs to such a category of people who are not politically mature but are desperate to derive political mileage out of any situation. It is good that the SP chosen to suspend Ghose from the party. How can the SP tolerate a statement from party leader that questions the very Supreme CourtIJ,” Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe asked.
Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said Ghosi’s remarks deserved all-round condemnation. “What Ghose is indulging in is sheer vote—bank politics. He and his party need to be condemned by one and all,” Bhandari said.
Congress leader Sachin Sawant said Ghosi’s comments were part of the SP’s “tactical agenda” to communalise the issue and reap political benefits out of it.