Head Honcho

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OFF with his head. Angry outburst or calculated words? Uttar Pradesh8217;s Minorities Welfare and Haj minister, Haji M Yaqoob Qureshi8217;s announcement of a Rs 51-crore award on the Danish cartoonist8217;s head at a rally of five lakh in Meerut has finally put him where he8217;s desperate to be. In the spotlight.

For long Qureshi, 42, has been trying to project himself as the leader of Muslims in the Samajwadi Party. Insiders say Qureshi has been the unhappiest minister in Mulayam8217;s government since getting the MoS post as a 8216;reward8217; for defecting from the BSP in August 2004. He holds the independent charge of Haj and Minority Welfare 8212; but hardly gets any mileage. Instead his bete noire, Parliamentary Affairs heavyweight minister Azam Khan, hogs much of the limelight 8216;voicing concern8217; on Muslim issues.

With assembly elections less than a year away, Qureshi thought it was time he became became Mulayam8217;s Muslim man to fit in the MY winning formula. The Danish cartoonist gave him just the opportunity to be so. 8216;8216;I said it in complete consciousness. All had been decided two days before the rally. I had to be the voice for lakhs of enraged Muslims over the blasphemous act of Prophet Mohammad8217;s cartoons,8217;8217; Qureshi thunders, adding the 8216;8216;executor8217;8217; would also be weighed in gold.

IN Meerut, Qureshi8217;s clout is enviable. An MLA from Meerut8217;s Kharkhauda constituency, he is Western UP8217;s leading meat trader, controlling several slaughter houses. His son Imran holds the lease for the slaughter house located in the town centre.

Qureshi8217;s elder brother Mohd Yusuf Qureshi has been state president of the All India Jamiatul Quresh butchers8217; association for the last four years.

8216;8216;We have one lakh members in Meerut alone8230;there are 12 lakh members in UP who give a turnover of almost Rs 800 crore each year,8217;8217; elder Qureshi says proudly. UP police says all these 12 lakh members swear by the Qureshi brothers. 8216;8216;They are a very close-knit unit. One call and allwill get together,8217;8217; says a top Intelligence official in UP police. Little wonder then, he adds, that the minister could muster up a crowd of five lakh on a day8217;s call.

The family trade is also the primary reason for Qureshi8217;s public spatswith Azam Khan. Recently, Qureshi went to Khan8217;s native Rampur and accused him of8216;8216;interfering in his ministry8217;s affairs8217;8217;. He then shot off a complaint to the CM8212;Khan followed suit. Mulayam8217;s advice to both of them: sort out the matter amicably.

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What preceded this war of words was Khan8217;s nod to a modern eco-friendly abbatoir out of Meerut8217;s city limits. Thiswould mean shutters down for theold slaughter house in the town for which Qureshi8217;s son Imran holds the lease which is to expire this March-end. SP insiders say Qureshi took this 8216;8216;personally8217;8217; and decided he had to do something big to get back in reckoning.

The minister however claims his announcement had no political motive. 8216;8216;That was not a political stage. I don8217;t care if the government supports me or not8230;or if Amar Singh calls it an irresponsible statement. It was my call as a Muslim. The cartoonist is a villain, he must die,8217;8217; Qureshi says, speaking on his newly-installed loudspeaker as yet another procession comes to his home in the Sarai Bahleem area to offer their contributions to the Rs 51-crore fund.

Despite the Muslim Personal Law Board8217;s stinging criticism of his statements, Qureshi thinks he has a political victory at hand, especially after Mulayam Singh Yadav8217;s cooperative statement8212;8216;8216;I agree with Qureshi8217;s anger8217;8217;.

The state home department too has categorically ruled out any criminal proceedings against Qureshi who now plans to tour the entire country with his bloodthirsty war cry.