Congress leader Mohammed Arif Khan, who quit as the party's star campaigner, has now reaffirmed his commitment to the party. Khan resigned from the Congress campaign committee on April 26 as there was no Muslim candidate in Maharashtra for the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) nominations.
While speaking to reporters today, Arif reiterated his support for the Congress party. He also added that he had received an offer from AIMIM, but he confirmed that he would remain with the Congress and refused any association with AIMIM.
Khan told reporters: “Since Independence, Congress has given equal opportunities to minorities and every caste. There is no doubt about me as an individual. I am a leader of the Muslim community and Muslims ask me why seats have not been allocated to Muslims.” candidates. So what I told them is a big question for me. I thank AIMIM for their offer but I will not accept that, no contact with AIMIM, I am in Congress and I will remain in Congress.
The former party star campaigner also added: “I am not saying anything about leadership. I only speak about what my community thinks. My leaders are Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. But those on the ground need to change their perspective and think about us too.”
Khan's letter to the Congress Party president
In a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Khan expressed his gratitude for being named one of the top campaigners for the polls. However, he stated that he would not campaign further for the party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
“Out of a total of 48 seats in Maharashtra, MVA has not nominated a single Muslim candidate in Maharashtra,” Khan stated in his letter to Kharge. The senior leader further said that numerous Muslim organisations, leaders and party workers in the state were expecting the Congress to nominate at least one candidate. However, to their disappointment, this did not happen. “Now they are asking…Congress ko Muslim vote chahiye…candidate kyu nahi (Congress wants Muslim votes, but why not candidates)?” Khan asked.
“For all these reasons, I cannot face the Muslims and other Muslim organizations in Maharashtra who always raise this issue and I have no answers. That is why I have decided not to campaign for the party during the Lok. Sabha elections 2024 and also resigns from the campaign committee of the Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections 2024,” Khan wrote in his letter.
Meanwhile, the MVA recently announced its seat-sharing scheme for 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. As part of the seat-sharing agreement between the MVA, Shiv Sena (UBT) is contesting 21 seats, while Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) have 17 and 10 seats respectively.
(With input from agencies)
Unlock a world of benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time inventory management, breaking news and a personalized news feed – it's all there, just one click away! Log in now!
View all political news and updates on DailyExertNews. Download the Mint News app for daily market updates and live business news.
. or less
Published: Apr 27, 2024 1:03 PM IST