The seat in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur district, which has a large Muslim population, fell vacant after Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan was disqualified as an MLA following his conviction and three-year jail sentence in a hate speech case.
Ahead of the December 5 Rampur Sadar assembly bypoll, Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak on Saturday said while the Narendra Modi government is working to empower Pasmanda Muslims through its schemes, other political parties have used the community just for votes.
The seat in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur district, which has a large Muslim population, fell vacant after Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan was disqualified as an MLA following his conviction and three-year jail sentence in a hate speech case.
"Since independence, the respect that you should have got as brothers of this nation got entangled in the maths of votes, which means you could not get the respect and no one was ever worried for your honour," Pathak said at a conference of beneficiaries belonging to the Pasmanda Muslims community.
Former Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister of State Baldev Aulak and Minority Welfare Minister Danish Azad Ansari were among those present at the programme organised by the BJP's Uttar Pradesh minority cell at the Gandhi Stadium in Rampur.
"Prime Minister Modi was the one who said that in the Muslim society, the Dalit Muslims, the backward people, the deprived people, the brothers and sisters, their living standards have to be raised," Pathak said, adding that Modi has decided that he will work to better their standard of living.
Khan, a veteran SP leader had won the 2022 assembly election from the assembly seat while being lodged at the Sitapur jail for the 10th time. He then gave up the Rampur parliamentary seat, which he won in 2019.
"Some people created a gap between Hindus and Muslims to get your votes. There is not a single decision of Modi ji and the BJP in which the brothers and sisters of the Pasmanda community have not been included. Narendra Modi has done the work of giving benefits to you in each and every scheme," Pathak said.
Opposition parties, however, be it the Congress, the SP, the Bahujan Samaj Party or any other party have all been talking on communal lines and taking votes but have done nothing for rights and entitlements of the community, Pathak said.
In an apparent reference to Khan, former Union minister Naqvi said there is no place of pride in politics. The condition of those who are proud of power is in front of all to see, he said. Pathak said that "today, I have come to tell you that Prime Minister Modi has opened the doors of BJP for you (Pasmanda Muslims), you are heartily welcome, till now you have done a lot of work".
"Bade mian said that you have filled his hookah... you have served those people who sucked your blood. I want to say to my brothers of Qureshi, Ansari, Dhobi ,Chidimar, Manihar community, now tell that Bade mian that now Muslim brothers of Pasmanda community will no longer fill your hookah," he said in an apparent reference to Khan.
(With PTI Inputs)