Kolkata: Muslim cleric of Furfura Sharif in West Bengal, Abbas Siddiqui, floated a new political outfit 'Indian Secular Front' in the poll-bound West Bengal.
Slamming the ruling Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, the Furfura Sharif cleric said that Banerjee failed to uplift the status of the minorities in the state.
“The chief minister makes false promises about the upliftment of the minorities but never keeps them. The BJP on the other hand is a communal party. Our party Indian Secular Front has been formed so that everybody can enjoy social justice and constitutional democracy can also be protected,” mentioned Siddiqui, the most vocal critic of chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Saying that ‘BJP is harming the peace of the country’, Siddiqui claimed that TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee is instrumental in bringing the saffron camp into Bengal politics.
Slamming Siddiqui for opening a new political party, TMC MP Saugata Roy said that within three months it would be impossible for the new party to get a toe hold in Bengal politics.
“In every state, new players enter politics just before the elections. Abbas Siddiqui is a new player. But it is hard to do anything in just three months. Even if he manages to snatch even a single vote of the TMC it would help the BJP. The minorities are with the TMC and will remain so,” said Roy.
Notably, All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi in order to enter West Bengal politics had met Siddiqui on January 3 and given Siddiqui the power to pitch and select candidates even on behalf of AIMIM.
According to poll analysts, by the invent of this new political party especially being head by a Muslim, it will give a tough fight for the ruling Trinamool Congress as 120 out of 294 assembly seats are minority dominated.
“Muslim votes are definitely a decisive factor. 120 assembly seats are directly under their influence. The rest of the seats also more or less have sizeable Muslim voters. With Indian Secular Front it can be a direct threat to the TMC,” mentioned the analysts.
