NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTION 99
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Basu ticks off Bukhari

Rifat Jawaid in Calcutta

West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu said on Tuesday that Delhi's Jama Masjid Imam had no business in telling him which Front to align with. The octogenarian Marxist leader made this observation in an exclusive conversation with rediff.com yesterday.

"I was not there when he made these remarks to reporters. He had sought an audience with me primarily to discuss the West Bengal Religious Bill 1985, whereby anybody intending to construct or renovate religious places must obtain state government permission in advance. Though he expressed reservations about the bill, I made clear my government's commitment towards implementing the bill soon," Basu added.

According to Basu, Bukhari asked him whether the bill included construction of madrasas. To this, the veteran Marxist clarified that madrasas did not fall under its purview.

Basu expressed optimism about the proposed Third Front, saying that he along with four former prime ministers was busy bringing all like-minded, secular and democratic political outfits on one platform.

"The need of the hour is to unite all secular and democratic forces, to put up a challenge against growing threats by fascist and fundamentalist forces in the country. This formation will not include imams or any religious leaders; therefore, Bukhari should preferably stay way from making such remarks," he added.

Basu refuted reports that he had invited Bukhari to derive political mileage, ahead of crucial civic polls later this month. He criticised the media for 'baseless and unfounded' reportage that the CPI-M was fast losing Muslims' support in West Bengal.

"If that was so, we would have been wiped out in the just-concluded municipal polls in the state. That we won most civic boards amply corroborates our support base among the minority community. People are citing the defeat of Left nominees as a yardstick of our so-called waning popularity in Muslim-dominated areas. But what they do not understand is that Panskura was an aberration and many other factors had worked. For the electorate, political clashes were what assumed more importance. Besides, the Trinamul Congress also rigged polls and resorted to violence," he observed.

On whether Muslims in India needed a political party to ensure that the likes of Bukhari did not succeed in exploiting their interests, Basu said it would prove quite detrimental to the community in general. He felt that Muslims being a minority had few options, but to align themselves with the majority community. He blamed the Congress for having misled the community for five decades.

"It is high time Muslims identified their friends and foes. Rather than going for a separate outfit they should select between the good and evil from the present lot," he observed.

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report