Question Trinamool for community's woes, Suvendu Adhikari asks Bengal’s imams

Holding the Trinamool Congress (TMC) responsible for the woes of Bengal’s minority community, Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has asked state’s imams to raise the issues that affect their community in an upcoming conference. He also blamed the ruling party for practising divisive politics and instigation.

In a long post, shared on social platforms, Adhikari claimed that the loss of Sagardighi Assembly bypoll earlier this year had left the TMC shocked. The constituency with 67% of the minority population had been won by TMC with a margin of over 50,000 votes in 2021, he stated.

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“People belonging to the minority community have now realised that the TMC party has only engaged in hollow symbolic gestures and they are not bothered about their real development. Even during the rural polls, the community had turned away from the TMC. The cumulative discontent over corruption across West Bengal has impacted the usually unwavering support of the minority community as well,” he said.

Referring to a recent meeting held between imams and the leaders of the ruling party ahead of a state-level imam conference that is to take place in the city later this month, Adhikari said he “hopes that the conference will focus on the wellbeing and betterment of the imam sahibs”.

“I urge the respected imam sahibs to kindly bring up the issue of unemployment in the conference. Nearly 50 lakh people of the state are migrant workers, outside the state, and 70% of them are from the minority community. Kindly ask the ruling party leaders, who hold important positions in the WB govt, what measures the state government has taken to bring back these people,” he said.

The BJP leader pointed out that a large section of school dropouts are from the minority community, and very few go for higher education. He alleged that “ornamental schemes” announced, have no real effect, and the community lacks healthcare too.

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“The government may make offers to increase your honorarium allowance by Rs 500. But will it resolve the issues that have plagued your community?” he asked.

Blaming the ruling party for spreading “false information” and practising divisive politics, Adhikari stated that the (BJP-led) government at the Centre has rolled out schemes that benefit the poor, irrespective of their caste and religious identities.

Meanwhile, a body of imams in the state, however, didn’t find the argument convincing.

“We feel the BJP has lost the right to speak up for us, given what is happening with members of the community in certain parts of the country. The statements made by some leaders are also on record. There are issues, but we don’t need their suggestions,” Mohammad Yahiya, president, Bengal Imam Association, said.

The association, Yahiya said, represents around 22,000 imams across the state.