Veteran Congress Leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that invitations of Hindu candidates to campaign for them has drastically deceased in the last four years due to ‘fear’, reported the Indian Express.
“Since the days of the Youth Congress, I have been campaigning across the country from Andaman to Lakshadweep and 95 per cent of those who used to call me were Hindu brothers and leaders, and just 5 per cent were Muslim brothers,” said Azad. “But in the last four years, I have been observed that the figure of 95 has dropped to just 20 per cent. This means that there is something wrong… Aaj darta hai admi bulane se… iska voter pe kya asar hoga… (Today people are afraid to call me… wondering what effect would I have on the voter).”
Azad was speaking at an event in Lucknow where Aligarh Muslim University alumni were observing the 201st birth anniversary of the University founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.
He said that the University was being defamed by a certain group of people from a particular party.
“Ek vishesh dal aur ek vishesh soch ke log, Kashmir aur AMU ko… Kashmir ke ladkon ko tang karne ke liye yeh sajishe banate rehte hain. (People of a particular party and of a particular thought are fomenting trouble for Kashmiri students and AMU through controversies),” said Azad.
Over the last few years, AMU has been in the news over its minority institution tag, reservation of seats for Dalits and a picture of Pakistan founder Mohammad Jinnah in the university’s student union office. Most recently, two students were booked for allegedly attempting to offer funeral prayers for a slain former student-turned-militant. Mannan Wani.
Azad’s remarks come days after the Congress was embarrassed by a similar statement made by Digvijaya Singh in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh. A viral video of Singh’s informal chat with party workers purportedly showed him as saying that his speeches “dent” Congress votes. “I have a single task. No campaigning, no speeches. My speeches dent Congress votes, so I don’t go,” Singh had said.
