Dekho Dekho sher aaya: Mustafabad welcomes Tahir Hussain after five years

Amid chants of ‘jail ka jawab vote se’ in Sanjay Chowk, Hussain tells a crowd of hundreds, “Friends, my face must seem familiar to you. I have come here to meet you after five years. I have waited so long to see you again… This Sanjay Chowk is where I began my life. These streets are my home. This is where I raised my family.”

“I was the reason why AAP was able to open its account in Mustafabad… but when there was a crisis, they abandoned me… But the AIMIM showed faith in me,” he adds. Hussain, who was expelled by AAP for his alleged role in the riots, had claimed that he was a victim of conspiracy.

“I have a dream to improve roads, set up schools and hospitals for the people of Mustafabad,” he says, eliciting a loud cheer from the gathering.

As Hussain and his workers traverse around the streets of Old Mustafabad, what catches the eye are roads full of garbage and choked drains. Across every street, about 15 feet from the ground, is a criss cross of cables and party banners.

As part of his roadshow, three autorickshaws with AIMIM flags and posters follow Hussain, who is showered with flower petals from houses. A man holds a portable speaker to announce – “dekho dekho kaun aaya, sher aaya, sher aaya”.

“Asalam walekum, mere sabhi bhaiyon ko,” says an AIMIM worker as he shakes hands with everyone. His refrain – “Patang ka button dabaye (click on the kite button, the symbol of AIMIM)”.

Hussain’s supporters storm the room in which he is about to give a speech, as police personnel try to control the crowd with the help of AIMIM workers. Wiping his face of sweat, Hussain asks his supporters to relax and make way for AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel. As Jaleel enters the room, the crowd cheers loudly.

After the gathering, as police personnel ask the crowd to disperse, AIMIM workers tell the gathering that the roadshow will resume on Thursday.

Throughout the day, not a word is spoken about the 2020 riots case for which he Hussain was in jail. On Tuesday, while allowing him custody parole from January 29 to February 3 to campaign, the Supreme Court had barred him from making any public comments on the merits of his case.

In the 2020 Delhi polls, AAP’s Haji Yunus had won from Mustafabad, defeating BJP’s sitting MLA Jagdish Pradhan. This time, AAP has fielded Adil Ahmad Khan and BJP has given a ticket to five-time MLA Mohan Singh Bisht. The Congress ticket has gone to Ali Mehdi, son of Hasan Ahmed, a former legislator from Mustafabad.