Madanis spar over hosting Eid Milan

Noted Islamic cleric Arshad Madani and his nephew and Rajya Sabha MP Mahmood Madani hardly miss an opportunity to have a go at each other.

Noted Islamic cleric Arshad Madani and his nephew and Rajya Sabha MP Mahmood Madani hardly miss an opportunity to have a go at each other. The latest clash between the two,who head factions of the Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind,is over hosting of Eid Milan.

The two popular Islamic leaders are organising Eid Milan in Delhi this week,but on the same day and at the same time. They have sent out invites to the whos who of the community and the Capitals political class,and it is not surprising that the guest list looks almost identical.

Arshad now claims that he had announced the date for the function first and Mahmood Madani deliberately chose the same day (September 24) to run him down. He could have chosen another day. If I change the date,I am sure he will also do the same, he told The Indian Express.

Mahmood said it was the other way around. I had booked a banquet hall in the Le Meridian hotel for hosting the function at least two months ago. One can check with the hotel and the Constitution Club (where Arshad is holding his Eid Milan) to find out who had made the booking first, he said.

I have invited the President,Vice-President,Prime Minister,Congress president and a host of ministers and MPs besides several Muslim leaders. I cannot change the date now. If I had known that he was organising the Eid Milan on 24th,I would have chosen another date, Arshad said. Mahmood also has similar arguments. He,however,adds that if his uncle Arshad wants to have a show of strength,he was ready for it.

Both Arshad and Mahmood claim that the Jamiat factions they are heading is the real one and enjoys considerable support ever since the organisation,which was founded in 1919 and was involved in the Khilafat movement,split two years ago after a tussle between the two over the control of leadership following the death of patriarch Asad Madani.

The split also had a political flavour. While Arshad favoured Jamiat having close links with the Congress,Mahmood,an MP belonging to Ajit Singhs RLD,opposed it. The undivided Jamiat had over a crore members and was considered an influential voice of moderate Muslims in India.