Anti-Muslim rhetoric infused in Kedarnath bye-election, Indresh Maikhuri file complaint to EC
Anti-Muslim rhetoric infused in Kedarnath bye-election, Indresh Maikhuri file complaint to EC
S.M.A.KAZMI
Dehradun , Nov 15
With few days left for the polling for Kedarnath assembly bye-election, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has infused its’ time tested strategy of anti-Muslim rhetoric and fielded a prominent hate monger Darshan Bharati, who was lately seen leading the Hindutva brigade charge against a mosque at Uttarkashi on October 24, 2024.
Indresh Maikhuri, state Secretary of CPI(ML) in a communication to Chief Election Commissioner, New Delhi and other senior officers including Chief Electoral Officer, Uttarakhand, DGP, District Magistrate, Rudraprayag and District police chief has shared a video in which Darshan Bharati is seen threatening Muslims. The voting for the kedarnath assembly bye-election will be held on November 20, 2024. Earlier, after losing two assembly bye-elections of Mangalore and Badrinath, Kedarnath seat has become prestigious for the ruling BJP and particularly for Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami who is leaving no stone unturned in quest for winning the seat.
Indresh Maikhuri wrote that a hate campaign is being run by certain communal elements against the business establishments of minorities in the Kedarnath assembly constituency. He pointed out that on 14th November 2024, at places like Agastyamuni and Bhiri, Darshan Bharti alongwith his few supporters misbehaved with Muslim shopkeepers, abused them openly, threatened them to change the names of their establishments. They kept talking openly about the administrative officers in a threatening manner, Indresh alleged.
The CPI (ML) firebrand leader said that such an attempt to openly create communal frenzy and animosity amidst assembly by-election is extremely serious, worrying and unacceptable. He further said that that such incidents were as not only an open challenge to law and order but to the entire process of free, fair and transparent elections.
“Threatening a section of citizens on the basis of their religion was definitely an obstacle in the way of peaceful and fear-free elections and an attempt to benefit communal politics. Such an incident happening despite implementation of the Model Code of Conduct for the by-election clearly amounts to openly flouting the code of conduct. It was ironic that yesterday afternoon the police conducted a flag march in Agastyamuni market and in the evening communal elements were openly threatening the minorities,” Indresh Maikhuri wrote.
He asked the Election Commission of India to immediately intervene in this matter and stop such communal elements by taking preventive action against them as none should be allowed to influence the bye-election by spreading communal frenzy. He asked the Election Commission to take cognizance of the video shared by him of Darshan Bharati openly threatening Muslim shopkeepers.
