In the midst of the Maharashtra Assembly election fervour, ruling as well as Opposition parties have been making strong statements about 'vote jihad'.
Even some leaders of Maharashtra BJP have claimed that foreign funding was received in Maharashtra for 'vote jihad'.
Amid these allegations, one claim by the BJP leaders is that the All India Ulema Board recently sent a 17-point demand letter to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
The Ulema Board, in its letter, said that it was ready to support the MVA alliance in the ensuing Assembly elections, but with a rider: in case the MVA came to power, it should fulfill their demands.
On this, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee wrote back saying it agreed to all these demands. The Ulema Board President, Nayab Ansari, made this letter public on his social media on October 31.
Amidst these controversies, just before the voting scheduled for November 20 in Maharashtra, sources claimed that on Friday after the Jumma prayers, appeals were made from mosques to vote in favour of the MVA.
Speaking to IANS on this issue, Jamiat-e-Ulama Mumbai President Maulana Siraj Khan appealed for voting in favour of candidates of the MVA and stated that after the formation of the government, he would like to see Uddhav Thackeray again as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Maulana Siraj Khan has praised Uddhav Thackeray's leadership and described his leadership during the tenure of the MVA government, particularly at the time of the Covid-19 crisis.
"During Covid-19, the situation in Maharashtra was much better compared to other states. While people were dying and bodies were being floated in the Ganges in other states, in Maharashtra, food, water, and travel facilities were provided. This is why we want Uddhav Thackeray to be the Chief Minister again, he stated.
Maulana Siraj Khan praises the leadership style of Uddhav Thackeray, saying, "He is a good person and has respect for every section of society. His heart is very kind, and he has worked excellently for every community. During his government, there was no discrimination in Maharashtra."
Appealing to the Muslim community and people of other faiths to vote for MVA candidates, he said, "The Muslims should use their votes and vote for the candidates 'who are secular and work for all sections of the society. We have appealed to all communities to vote in the election on the 20th and support the candidates of the MVA.'"
Maulana Siraj Khan also wrote a letter on this topic. The Urdu letter called for specifically Muslim voters to vote. Through that letter, he also blamed the power that had swapped with the MVA government in Maharashtra for not keeping an "atmosphere of peace and brotherhood throughout the state, which has come down since the swap of power."
Questioning the BJP allegations on 'vote jihad,' Maulana Siraj Khan said BJP leaders, including Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, should understand the right meaning of jihad.
"The BJP leaders must realize that jihad does not mean merely terrorism. It is a religious and social service method, which they fail to understand," he said, adding that if it is fine for the BJP to support certain groups, then it cannot be wrong for others in different communities to raise their voices for their rights.
Maulana Siraj Khan also referred to increasing challenges for Muslims in the election period: "An atmosphere has been created against Muslims, and especially in Maharashtra, the situation has worsened. We want Muslims to cast their votes peacefully and without fear so that a government dedicated to everyone is formed in the state and peace prevails in society, " he added.
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