AAP’s prominent Muslim face gets little support from its party on many important issues
AAP’s prominent Muslim face gets little support from its party on many important issues
Amanatullah Khan, 48, a two-time Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Okhla, the AAP’s prominent Muslim face, is often seen as a staunch supporter of the minority community, even as his party maintains silence or vice versa. Takes a stand. some of these issues.
Take for example the bulldozer campaign led by the BJP-ruled South Municipal Corporation in Madanpur Khadar on May 12.
After Mr Khan was arrested for allegedly obstructing the demolition drive in the area, which has a large Muslim population, the party did not issue a statement in support of him. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia did not post a single tweet on Mr Khan’s arrest.
On the day Mr. Khan was arrested, AAP’s chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj held a press conference on a different topic.
your silence
Mr. Bhardwaj did not talk about the arrest of his party MLA until reporters asked him about it. Thereafter, he denounced the “goondagardi” of the BJP. Asked if Mr. Khan was being targeted for being a Muslim, Mr. Bhardwaj said, “The BJP files an FIR against any of you.”
Notably, the response given by the AAP spokesperson did not figure in the statement issued by the party later in the day.
On May 13, after a trial court granted Mr Khan bail, the AAP issued a statement in support of him, but did not name any AAP leader.
A senior AAP leader said: “The BJP wants us to be seen as openly supporting Muslims on various issues to portray us as anti-Hindu and to consolidate Hindu votes.”
“But by now everyone knows what the BJP is trying to do and what we are doing and it is not going to affect our Muslim voter base,” he said.
The AAP leader also said that Mr Khan has the support of the party’s top leadership.
recurring event
The Madanpur Khadar episode was not the only instance when AAP kept its distance from Mr. Khan.
When the Okhla MLA participated in the protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act at Shaheen Bagh in 2019-2020, Mr Kejriwal and other senior AAP leaders stayed away from it.
On August 8 last year, when a video of an event at Jantar Mantar in which slogans of violence against Muslims were raised, the party and its chief did not talk about the issue, while Mr Khan took the matter forward and A letter has been written to the police asking them to take action against the accused.
Also, last month, Mr Khan slammed the BJP for running a demolition drive in Muslim-majority areas during the holy month of Ramzan. The AAP leader accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of harassing a particular community through these campaigns.
The AAP did not give any support to Mr. Khan on this issue. Instead, the party, including the CM and Deputy CM, criticized the BJP for threatening to push lakhs of people on the streets by demolishing their homes and shops.
Rohingya issue
Mr Khan also does not hesitate to extend his support for the UNHCR card holder Rohingya refugees, who have been the target of the BJP’s bulldozer campaign.
The AAP’s official response, on most occasions when the BJP has accused it of shielding Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants, has been to blame the influx of migrants, given that border security is under the Centre’s control.
As the AAP continues its tough move not to oppose majority Hindus, especially with an eye on elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh later this year, Mr Khan is set to represent his party’s minority constituency. As more challenging days can be.