BJP Seeks Suo Motu Action After Jamiat Chief Alleges Govt Influence On Judiciary

 

 

New Delhi : Criticising the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (JUH) chief Maulana Mahmood Madani’s remarks alleging the courts were working under the government's pressure, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Saturday appealed to the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the statement.

"As a common citizen, I appeal to the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of Madani ji’s statement," the BJP MP told reporters in Bhubaneswar, adding, “the top court does not see religion when it hears cases."

The Jamiat chief, speaking at the National Governing Body Meeting of the organisation in Bhopal on Saturday, claimed that the perception that courts were working under government pressure had grown following the Babri Masjid verdict and many other decisions.

 

"After the verdict on Babri Masjid, triple talaq and several other matters, it seems that courts are functioning under the Government's pressure for a few years now...We have several instances before that have raised questions on the character of courts,” he said. “The Supreme Court is eligible to be called supreme only when it follows the Constitution and when it upholds the law. If it doesn't do that, it doesn't deserve to be called 'Supreme,'” Madani added.

 

Madani also made remarks on ‘Vande Mataram’, which led to sharp reactions from the saffron party. Strongly criticising Madani, Patra said, "I want to remind him that Vande Mataram does not belong to any religion. It is the honour of our motherland, the essence of this soil, for which countless heroes sacrificed their lives. This is the divisive policy of Madani and his friends."

 

The BJP spokesperson said the nation was celebrating the 150th anniversary of 'Vande Mataram', written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875 and recognised as the national song in 1950. "Speaking against Vande Mataram and instigating people is nothing but encouraging divisive forces. We condemn it," Patra said.

He also objected to Madani’s use of the word "jihad". "Jihad’ is a very irresponsible term. It goes against the sentiment of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas'. A leader should not provoke people with such words," Patra said

 

In the Madhya Pradesh capital, Madani had also said: "With regret, it has to be said that organised efforts are being made to establish the supremacy of a particular group and making other groups legally helpless, socially isolated and economically disgraced, defamed and deprived”.

 

"For this, economic boycott, bulldozer action, mob lynching, weakening of Muslim Waqf, and negative campaigns against madrassas and Islamic reforms are being carried out in a systematic manner. Their religious identity and existence have been made unnecessary, and even something that cannot be tolerated," he added.

BJP leader and MP Manoj Tiwari also criticised Jamiat president over his remarks, calling them unacceptable and provocative. "Someone giving such threats can only be a person of criminal nature," he said.

He added that India has always ensured safety and equal opportunity for all communities, including Muslims. "If there is any place in the world where our brothers and sisters of the Muslim community are safest and facilitated, it is India," he said.

 

Vinod Bansal, the national spokesperson of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) said that Madani’s statements are a threat to the nation and its judicial system. He alleged that people who make such statements “pierce the very plate they eat from.”

According to Bansal, leaders like Madani incite Muslim youth and extremists in the name of jihad, which is a threat to the country’s unity and security. Bansal said that Maulana Madani is an influential leader of the Muslim community, and if he invokes “jihad against oppression” to mobilise the youth, it effectively means he is indirectly supporting terrorists.