Shia cleric Jawad extends support to Rajnath Singh

LUCKNOW: After extending support to the BSP in the 2017 UP assembly elections against the SP-Congress alliance, Shia cleric Kalbe Jawad on Saturday announced support to Union home minister Rajnath Singh.
Jawad said Singh, the MP from Lucknow seeking re-election, was a "good man" who should be in Parliament against the likes of BJP leaders Maneka Gandhi and Sadhvi Pragya.
The cleric, who is also the general secretary of Majlis-e-Ulama-e-Hind, claimed that while he supports no party, the announcement came because Singh had assured him to take up Shia issues brought to his notice by Jawad.
This, Jawad said, would lead to his 'dua' for Singh's victory.
Addressing the media at a private hotel under the banner of Shia-Sufi Front, Jawad said, "Rajnath Singh is a good man who has assured us of solving problems of the Shia community. He has always supported Shias and Sufis and we will pray for his victory and support him through our members at the district, tehsil and block levels."
In a letter to Singh, which was handed over to the media by Jawad, seven demands have been raised by the banner. These were inquiry into the corruption of Husainabad & Allied Trust (HAT), CBI investigation of both Shia and Sunni Waqf boards, amendment in the Waqf Board Act of 1992, handing over of Shia and Sufi properties taken up as Nuzul by the British during the freedom struggle, establishment of a Sufi university in UP, representation of Shias and Sufis in the state and Union government and restarting Muharram processions that have been stalled over the years.
In 2017, the same Front had united against the SP-Congress alliance, declaring that both parties had fooled people of all religions.
Saturday's announcement by Jawad, however, saw resentment from the Shia community, with social media messages condemning the action.
"He has no right to interfere with the personal choice of a voter. By making such an announcement, he has done that for naive voters who follow him in religion," said Rubina Murtaza, the chairperson of Shia youth organisation Tanzeem Ali Congress.
"He is claiming there is no support to the party but Rajnath Singh is fighting for BJP. This is a clear appeal for BJP and has brought major embarrassment to the community," she said.
Earlier in the week, Singh had had to face ire of the Shia community when he was questioned on CM Yogi Adityanath controversial Ali-Bajrang Bali statement during a meeting Shia clerics in Lucknow.
When Jawad was asked about it, he said, "I have condemned the CM's statement but this is an election for Delhi and no one in Delhi has made such a comment."