Political controversy over SP president Akhilesh Yadav holding meet in Delhi mosque

Politics in Uttar Pradesh has heated up over Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav’s visit to a mosque near Parliament House in Delhi on Tuesday. BJP leaders have accused the party of holding a political meeting inside a religious space.

On the mosque being used for a political meeting, UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya said, “SP chief and Samajwadi Party always violate the Constitution. The Indian Constitution says that we cannot use religious places for political purposes. They do not believe in the Constitution; they always remain Namaazwadi.”

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On July 22, a meeting was held in the mosque with many leaders, including SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, photos of which were shared on social media.

Responding to the allegations, Akhilesh Yadav said that faith unites people. “BJP wants people to remain divided instead of being united. We believe in all religions. Religion is the weapon of BJP,” he alleged.

He further said,”If BJP has a problem with sweets, will we stop eating sweets? If BJP says eat savory, will we eat savory? ”

Meanwhile, National President of All India Muslim Jamaat, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, has reacted sharply to the meeting of SP leaders in the mosque located on Sansad Marg in New Delhi.

Addressing mediapersons in Bareilly, he said that the mosque is a place to worship God, not for politics. “Mosque has an important place in Islam. A Muslim goes to the mosque to offer Namaaz five times a day. When he reaches the mosque, he leaves behind worldly affairs and gets busy in worshipping God. Then the political matters of the world have no importance for him there, and neither has Islam given him the right to do so,” the Maulana said.

Showing a picture to the media, the Maulana said that the Imam of the mosque located on Sansad Marg in New Delhi is Rampur MP Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi. “In the picture, Maulana Nadvi is sitting in the courtyard in the middle of the mosque, and he is holding a meeting with Samajwadi Party officials. SP President Akhilesh Yadav, Azamgarh MP Dharmendra Yadav, Sambhal MP Ziaur Rahman Barq, and two women can also be seen sitting in the picture,” he narrated.

“Holding a meeting of SP in a mosque is extremely dangerous. This is against the purity and dignity of the mosque. The Muslim community cannot tolerate political talks, meetings of political parties, and political speeches in the mosque,” he claimed.

Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi said that Mohibullah Nadvi has committed a grave sin by holding a meeting with Samajwadi Party leaders in the mosque. In the eyes of Shariat, he is a criminal, he alleged. The Maulana appealed to the mosque committee, saying ”Mohibullah Nadvi should be removed from the Imamat of the mosque. Nadvi should apologise to the Muslim community for this crime”.