Elections 2014: Muslims in South vote by ‘choice’

Rajahmundry: Even as the Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmad Bukhari gave a call to the Muslims to support Congress in the ensuing general elections, the Muslims, especially from South India, intend to cast their vote based on either by conscience or by choice and are unwilling consider the cleric’s call as an order to be complied with.

Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari gave a call to the Muslims to support Congress and not to polarise secular votes in New Delhi on Friday after Congress president Sonia Gandhi met him. This kicked up a row as BJP criticised the Congress for its move and said that the party unmasked its true character of promoting communal politics.

Muslim leaders maintain that they are the traditional vote bank of Congress for several generations. Even after demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992 they remained loyal to the Congress despite its failure to protect it as it was in power at the Centre at that time. They say that the Congress always protects the interests of minorities including Muslims, Christians, Dalits and others.

Muslims in South India are relatively liberal when compared to their brethren in the North.

However, the older generation seems to be still loyal to the Congress, the younger generation is switching its loyalty to YSR Congress.The leaders say that a good number of their people are not in favour of the TDP as it entered into an alliance with BJP.

Royal Mosque president Sheik Asadullah Ahmad said, “Though the cleric has given a call to us, it’s no longer binding on us to follow as we have liberty to choose the party or leader of our choice in the polls.”