Appoint a Muslim as PM or BJP President if you truly care: Maharashtra Congress chief hits out at Centre
If the BJP really cares for Muslim minorities, then it should appoint a Muslim as its president or prime minister, said Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal today, as per a Congress press statement.
Sapkal explained that so far, the Congress party has had 89 presidents representing all castes and religions—tribals, SCs, STs, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians. He added that while undertaking development work, the Congress had ensured that the benefits reached all communities. However, he claimed that the BJP was showing excessive concern for the Muslim community, claiming to have introduced the triple talaq law and the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in support of Muslim women and the poor.
Speaking at a Congress workers’ gathering in Akola, Sapkal said that BJP president J.P. Nadda’s term had ended, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was nearing 75. Rather than waiting for the RSS to decide a successor, he declared that the BJP ought to directly appoint a Muslim leader as the PM or party president. He also suggested that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat should step down and be replaced by someone from the tribal or Dalit communities.
Addressing a press conference after the gathering, Sapkal also criticised the state government for withholding local body elections to retain control. He alleged that the entire state was being run by just three people who had created a system of exploitation.
He claimed the Modi government had deliberately lowered the prices of tur (pigeon pea) before it reached the market and failed to offer fair rates, breaking the backbone of farmers. Also, compensation for damages caused by excessive rain and hailstorms have not been disbursed, nor have contractors and ST (State Transport) workers been paid.
Sapkal stated that if the trio leading the state—Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, and Shinde—truly had any influence with PM Modi, they would have demanded a special financial package from the Centre for Maharashtra, waived off farmer loans, and brought the state's economy back on track.
He also raised concerns about law and order, claiming that illegal businesses had peaked, with a booming black market for marijuana and narcotics. Drugs were entering Maharashtra from Gujarat's Kandla port, but the police were not taking any action. Sapkal concluded by saying that the absence of a full-time Home Minister had indeed severely impacted law enforcement in Maharashtra, and something ought to be done to fix these problems and bring the state back on track.
India