Delhi elections: Aam Aadmi Party rejects Jama Masjid Shahi Imam's offer of support ;

Arvind Kejriwal and Shahi ImamAam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday rejected the offer of support of Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari of Jama Masjid for the Delhi Assembly elections that will be held on Saturday.
"The AAP seems to be in a position to form the government, and we must give them strength," Bukhari of the 17th century Jama Masjid in Old Delhi said earlier in the day. The AAP quickly rejected his unsolicited support, accusing the Imam of practicing communal politics.
"We not only reject the offer by Bukhari but also condemn his politics and what he stands and the ideology he stands for," AAP leader Ashish Khetan told reporters. Khetan said Bukhari's past utterances symbolized communalism. He added that when Bukhari annointed his son as the Jama Masjid's Naib Imam, he had invited the Pakistani Prime Minister but not the Indian Prime Minister.

 

 

BJP and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also responded to the appeal saying, "The correct answer to such 'fatwas' is through the ballot." "We are confident that people from all castes and communities will come out and vote for us," Jaitley said.

On Thursday, AAP received support from TMC chief Mamata Banerjee who appealed people to vote for AAP through her tweet. The CPI(M) too had supported AAP for the Delhi elections.
The number of Muslims contesting the assembly polls in Delhi has fallen significantly in comparison to 2013. And Muslim leaders and pundits feel most Muslims are likely to vote for the AAP.
Of the 673 candidates in the fray for Saturday's battle for the 70-member assembly, 68 are Muslims - down from 108 two years ago when the total number of contestants was 810. Up to eight constituencies have significant Muslim presence. These include Okhla in south Delhi, Mustafabad and Seelampur in east Delhi and Matia Mahal and Ballimaran in Old Delhi. Muslims account for over 11 percent of nearly 17 million population in Delhi.

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