Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani has issued a statement today raising serious questions on Congress’s policy against communalism. He said that after independence, Congress adopted a soft attitude against the politics of hatred based on religion, which strengthened communal forces and caused great loss to the country.
Congress could have saved the country from destruction: Madani
Maulana Madani said that if communalism had been strictly crushed after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, the country could have been saved from devastation and ruin. Gandhiji was assassinated at the hands of communal forces and at that time some big leaders in Congress also turned against Gandhiji. He mentioned Gandhiji’s fasting and efforts to stop anti-Muslim riots.
Jamiat had taken written assurance from Congress: Madani
Maulana Madani alleged that after independence, Congress was lenient with communal forces and did not take strict legal action against them as per the Constitution. Due to this communal forces started flourishing. Maulana Madani reminded that Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind had taken written assurance from Congress even before independence that the Constitution of independent India would be secular and minorities would get complete religious freedom.
But after partition, some Congress leaders also started saying that a separate country (Pakistan) has been created for Muslims, so now the Constitution should not be secular. But the leadership of Jamiat held the hand of Congress and got the promise fulfilled and a secular constitution was made. Nevertheless, the roots of communalism went deep within.
Attempt to destroy the Constitution and democracy: Madani
Maulana Madani said that during the Congress rule, they had governments at the Center and in all the states. If they wanted, they could have made strict laws against communalism, but this did not happen due to the inflexible policy. Jamiat continuously demanded that this obsession be stopped, but serious attention was not given.
He said that if Congress had taken a strong stand against communalism 77 years ago, they would not have been out of power today and the country would not have been on the verge of destruction. Today, efforts are being made openly to erase the character of the Constitution and democracy, which our ancestors had never even thought of.
