'Of course, we are secular. Three of our Hindu brothers have won seats from our party. Tell me where AIMIM has managed that.'
Social media and news television channels are both hysterical about a party called I.S.L.A.M. (Indian Secular Largest Assembly Of Maharashtra) winning as many as 35 Seats out of a total of 84 in the recently held municipal polls in the Muslim majority town of Malegaon.
But the textile town, known to be communally sensitive, where bomb blasts targeting Muslims took place in 2006 and 2008, already has a sitting MLA from a Muslim party, one who holds a religious post. Mufti Ismael is a three term MLA, and has won twice from the AIMIM.
However, the last municipal elections here were won by the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party.
This time, Malegaon's Muslims chose the I.S.L.A.M. party.
What is the I.S.L.A.M. party and who is the man who led it to victory?
Jyoti Punwani talks to Asif Shaikh who founded the party in 2024 after having been in the Congress with his father, Shaikh Rashid, for long.
Malegaon is in a bad state: its roads are crumbling, its schools closing down, water supply is irregular. But you didn't speak of resolving any of this in your campaign.
You only spoke of 'the danger to Muslims'. Why?
Yes yes, roads and all that vikas will happen, that's not an issue. But more important for us is the SIR, which will soon start in Maharashtra.
We've seen what happened in Bihar, how voters were disenfranchised. The BJP government is using the SIR to target minority voters, and Malegaon is a minority city.
The Wakf Amendment Bill is also a big issue for us. We need to get so many new permissions under this new Bill to save our properties. Who will work on that?
Then there's the whole alleged fake birth certificate issue. BJP leader Kirit Somaiya came here shouting that Malegaon is full of illegal migrants with fake birth certificates. Thanks to his pressure, 3,400 birth certificates were cancelled.
We needed to reassure the people that once we control the corporation, these wrongs would be undone.
All these issues are vital for us. People put their faith in us and gave us their votes.
You are still short of a majority, though.
Our ally the Samajwadi Party got 5 seats so we are only short of 3 to cross the majority mark.
The Congress, which won 3 seats, has declared it will support us.
We have also sent a formal proposal to Mufti Saab (AIMIM MLA Mufti Ismael) asking for support. He has replied that his party will take a decision on this.
'We Want To Do Vikas Of Malegaon'
You campaigned against him and the AIMIM, and now you are seeking his support!
What happens during an election is quite different. Now we have won, and if we want to do vikas of Malegaon, we need the support of others.
I'm talking of support from outside; we are not entering into an alliance. Our ideologies don't match.
In what way do your ideologies not match?
Ours is a secular party.
Secular with a name like I.S.L.A.M.!
That's just an acronym. All parties have acronyms. Isn't the BJP an acronym for the Bharatiya Janata Party?
Of course, we are secular. Three of our Hindu brothers have won seats from our party. Tell me where AIMIM has managed that.
A Dalit has won on an AIMIM ticket from Mumbai.
Yeah a few exceptions here and there.
Won't this name be problematic for you? On social media people are going hysterical over it.
We've faced no problems in Malegaon. Why would people have chosen me otherwise?
Don't forget, when I lost the 2024 assembly election by just 152 votes, I fought under the I.S.L.A.M. party banner.
'Everyone Must Come Forward To Develop Malegaon'
Some people feel you should take the support of the Shiv Sena. (The Sena won 18 seats.) Its MLA Dada Bhuse is also a minister and his support would benefit Malegaon in many ways, they say.
We have already declared through the media that everyone must come forward to develop Malegaon.
No official proposal has been made by Dada Bhuse as yet.
An SIT was formed to investigate the fake birth certificate issue. What does its report say?
It found nothing. None of the allegations of Kirit Somaiya were proved.
4 FIRs were filed in this so-called fake certificates case. In the charge sheets, there's not even a mention of Rohingyas or Bangladeshis.
We'll be pointing this out to the high court when the bail applications of the accused are taken up in February.
And as soon as we take charge, we'll restore those cancelled 3,400 birth certificates.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
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