As the elections are going on in the world’s biggest democracy, Aligarh Muslim University Teachers’ Association (AMUTA) appealed voters across the nation to “vote carefully and defeat communal and fascist forces”. They noted that the people who are responsible for Gujarat and Muzaffarnagar riots are threat to the nation. Reproduced below is their press released. – Editor
Press Release:
The Aligarh Muslim University Teachers’ Association (AMUTA) has appealed to all Muslim and secular voters to vote carefully and defeat communal and fascist forces in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, said Dr. Aftab Alam, Hony Secretary of AMUTA. The teachers’ body is of the firm opinion that the people who are responsible for Gujrat and Muzaffarnagar carnage are threat to the country and they should be defeated. The statement issued by AMUTA states that Muslims should vote tactfully to defeat these forces. Instead of supporting a particular political party, AMUTA appeals Muslims to vote those candidates who can defeat the communal Modi and pseudo secular Mulayam in their respective constituencies. Muslims cannot forget that Narendra Modi who was the mastermind behind the Gujrat riot that killed many Muslims and made 100,000 displaced and has left Muslims in the state completely in the state of fear and demoralised. Modi has consistently and arrogantly refused to show any repent. The AMUTA also condemned the false propaganda of Modi that Muslims in Gujrat vote for him.
And the situation is not much better in UP. Within two years of Samajwadi party Govt. more than hundred cases of communal riots have been reported and most serious among them was the Muzaffarnagar. Eeven after seven months around 20,000 victims are still languishing in around 15 camps in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli who are not ready to go back to their homes because of fear as perpetrators of heinous crimes committed against them are roaming freely because of the inaction on the part of the UP Govt., said Dr. Alam. The Govt has completely failed in chalking out any practical and comprehensive rehabilitation plan for the victims. Instead the Govt. forcefully evicted the riot victims from camps and also slapped false cases of encroaching on government land.
The teachers’ body also condemned the hate speech by BJP’s UP in-charge Amit Shah and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. AMU fraternity is of the opinion that some parties are deliberately trying to flare up communal tension in different parts of the country to polarize votes to gain political mileage. Dr. Aftab Alam said that voters are fully aware of their communal design and will thwart their attempts and will reject communal forces in the upcoming elections.
According to Dr. Alam the first priority for Muslims is their safety and security and they will vote only those who can guarantee them safe India. He said that demonising the entire Muslims and arresting of innocent Muslim youths in fake and fabricated terror cases is an issue of serious concern. Similarly there is dramatic increase in number of Muslims being targeted in fake encounters. It is a fact that around 98 percent the Muslim young men who were arrested in terrorism cases across the country have now been found innocent by the courts. Those who will guarantee the release of innocent Muslims languishing in the jails will get the support of Muslims, said Dr. Alam.
Aftab Alam
Hony.Secretary
Teaching Staff Club, AMU, Aligarh, 202002
