The politics of Uttar Pradesh has come to a boil due to the arrival of a video of Ittehad-e-Millat Council President Tauqeer Raza Khan, who recently joined Congress. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused Congress of supporting the fundamentalists. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra targeted Congress fiercely by showing Raza’s video of about one minute in a half-hour press conference.
Sambit Patra said, “Congress took support from Tauqeer Raza in UP, and in West Bengal from those who spew venom against Hindus.”
Maulana of Ala Hazrat Bareilly Sharif and President of Ittehad Millat Council Tauqeer Raza Khan gave a speech in Bareilly on 7 January against the religious parliament of Haridwar.
On 19 January, he told NDTV that he is ready to apologize to the whole country if anything goes wrong in his 35-minute speech. Not only this, he has also given the recording of his 35-minute speech to the Bareilly Police.
Talking about his Speech, Tauqeer Raza Khan told the news channel that, “My statement has been shown in half, and half truth is more dangerous than lie. We have kept our youth under control.”
“I am ready to apologize if anything goes wrong in my 35-minute speech. I had said that give arms to my youth and train them. We will fight against China and take back Mansarovar and give it to Hindu brothers.”
On 7 January, thousands of Muslims gathered on the call of Maulana Khan for a ‘Dharam Sansad’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly, to offer “mass sacrifice” in protest against the hate speech delivered in the Haridwar ‘Dharam Sansad’.
Addressing the crowd, he said, “Aaj main sar pe kafan bandh ke aaya hoon (I’ve come here today with a shroud over my head.)”
“If your thirst can be fulfilled by our blood we’re ready to get sacrificed. Now you decide who is wrong? The one who is ready to give his life for the country or those who disregard women and calls to kill 200 million people of their own India. Can they be called country lovers?” He added.
It is worth mentioning that the President of Ittehad-e-Millat Council has earlier supported Congress and then SP but this time he is supporting Congress after getting angry with Akhilesh Yadav.
Earlier, while joining the party, Khan said, “We had resentment with Congress, but Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took advantage of it. We are responsible for the loss of the country. This step has been taken to rectify that mistake.”
In the last assembly elections, BJP had won all the 9 assembly seats in Bareilly. Experts believe that this video of Tauqeer Raza in Bareilly can speed up the process of polarization.
Local journalist Randeep Singh says, “There are a lot of Muslim voters who believe in Tauqeer Raza, so the effect of his appeal is in all 9 Vidhan Sabhas of Bareilly, 8 to 10 thousand votes can be shifted here and there at his behest.’
