Barelvi cleric in poll ring,Bareilly poll math goes for a toss

“We were being fooled by various political parties. They had adopted a ‘use and throw’ policy towards Muslims. The community was bewildered. It is better to wield political power,so I took the plunge. People have high expectations from Muslim clerics and there is no harm if they are in politics,” said Khan,justifying his stand for turning political.

Khan candidly admitted that he had supported the Congress in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. “It was due to our support that the Congress won from Bareilly and other places. After that they dumped us. We were assured of an alliance in Assembly elections. Senior Congress leaders like Digvijaya Singh met us and we had demanded only 20 seats,” said Raza.

So what went wrong? “The Congress wanted us to contest on their symbols. We did not accept it and broke the dialogue,” he said.

With several Muslim outfits mushrooming during elections,Raza blames the Muslim leadership for the “inconsequential status’’ of the community in politics. “Muslim leaders place their personal interests before the community’s interest. The Peace Party is an apt example: they fielded candidates only to divide Muslim votes,” he said.