Roshan Baig eyes rebirth, bats for Muslim causes

Bengaluru: Seven-time lawmaker R Roshan Baig appears to be making a bid to become mainstream again by leading a Muslim delegation with a list of demands, which includes the release of ‘innocent’ boys incarcerated in the 2020 DJ Halli-KG Halli riots.

Baig, a political pariah dumped by the Congress and stonewalled by the BJP and JD(S), has been out of action since 2019.

Now, Baig is spearheading a Muslim grouping known as Sada-e-Ittehad (Voice of Unity) and has met Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Home Minister G Parameshwara recently.

Baig is seeking the release of Muslim boys booked in the DJ Halli-KG Halli riots when the BJP was in power. “It’s been four years since 35 innocent boys were put behind bars,” he told reporters. “We’re not against action against rowdies and those facing Goonda Act cases. But these are innocent boys being treated as terrorists.”

The Sada-e-Ittehad, through Baig, has urged the Congress government to withdraw cases against ‘innocent’ boys in the DJ Halli-KG Halli riots on the lines of a recent Cabinet decision to drop prosecution against Muslims in the 2022 Hubballi communal violence.

“These are illiterate, uneducated boys,” Baig said. “We’ve been telling boys from our community that they shouldn’t react to (inflammatory) social media posts. They should complain to their community leaders and an FIR would be filed,” he said.

Baig made his electoral debut in 1985 as a candidate of the erstwhile undivided Janata Dal. In 1999, when the Janata Dal split into two, Baig joined Congress.

Having lost his second election in 1989, Baig maintained a victory run through 1994, 1999, 2004 (from Jayamahal constituency), 2008, 2013 and 2018 (from Shivajinagar).

Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Baig fell out of favour with Congress. He was suspended for publicly criticising party leaders. Later, Baig was disqualified along with 16 other MLAs under the anti-defection law. In 2020, the CBI arrested Baig in connection with the multi-crore IMA scam.

The Sada-e-Ittehad delegation has also urged the ruling Congress to reverse the previous BJP government’s decisions banning the Hijab in school classrooms and scrapping the 4 per cent Muslim reservation. The delegation is also seeking a law prohibiting religious bigotry, especially defamation of Prophet Mohammed.