Muslim leaders planning to support Shiv Sena or BJP in Maharashtra

In a major jolt to Congress and NCP, leaders of the Muslim community are planning to support Shiv Sena or BJP in return for an assurance that the basic problems of the community would be addressed. And adding to NCP's discomfiture, Muslims in that party led by its minority cell chief Habib Fakih have left the party angry over Muslims not being nominated as candidates from minority pockets in Marathwada and Vidarbha.

"We want to trounce Congress and NCP. Time is ripe for that," said Shabbir Ansari of All India Muslim OBC Organisation (AIMOBC), adding that they were in touch with Sena and BJP. On Monday, Ansari and community representatives met Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.

Ansari said Muslims were open to supporting pro-Hindutva parties if they publicly promised to address the community's basic problems like police framing innocent youth, fast-tracking pending criminal cases against them, protecting wakf board lands, easing granting of caste and validity certificates to OBC Muslims and providing Muslim youth employment.

Ansari, who was appointed to head a committee of community leaders to negotiate with political parties on the issue, said they would soon decide whether to support Sena or the BJP after these parties made their stance clear on "our demands".

"Congress and NCP have been using Muslims by projecting Sena and BJP as communal. There is no doubt Sena and BJP took a communal line as they did not get Muslim votes. However, we want to go with them and see if they are really communal or not," said Ghulam Peshimam, who is part of the committee.

"No one is untouchable. It will be good if we join hands," said Peshimam, a member of Muslims for Secular Democracy (MSD), who contested from Srivardhan in Raigad against NCP state chief Sunil Tatkare in 2009. The decision was likely on Monday, said Peshimam.

Meanwhile, Fakih, who was part of NCP's parliamentary board and among its star campaigners, said he had quit the party with around 65% of its minority workers. He said most of them favoured joining Sena. Fakih, who is from Raigad, attacked Ajit Pawar and Tatkare and pointed out how Muslims had been denied a fair share of nominations in regions where they had substantial numbers like Marathwada and Vidarbha.

"This is the party of Ajit Dada, not Pawar saheb (NCP chief)," said Fakih, alleging that Ajit-Tatkare duo was taking decisions without consulting others. He said while leaders of party's youth, women and backward classes cells had been given berths in the legislative council, minority cell leaders had been neglected.