No place for Muslims in Congress, alleges MLA Zeeshan Siddique
Zeeshan Siddique, the MLA who was sacked as president of the Mumbai Youth Congress two days ago, SAID on Thursday that "Muslims have no place" in the Grand Old party.
Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai, Zeeshan Siddique, MLA from Vandre East whose father Baba Siddique joined the Ajit Pawar-led faction of NCP earlier this month after quitting Congress, said he was asked to lose weight to be able to meet Rahul Gandhi.
“When I took part in Bharat Jodo Yatra, a person close to Rahul Gandhi said 'pehle 10 kg kam kar fir Rahul ji se milaunga [Lose 10 kg first and then you can meet Rahul Gandhi]'. I am an MLA, the chief of Mumbai Youth Congress. You are body-shaming someone?” he said.
Zeeshan Siddique also claimed that the Congress had the worst communalism among all parties and he faced harassment because of his religion.
Earlier this month, Zeeshan Siddique's father Baba Siddique joined the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), days after he left Congress. Zeeshan Siddique remained with the Congress, saying that with the way things are going in the party, he may have to look at other options.
"I won't say I will remain in the Congress, but I will discuss my political options with my supporters [first]," said Siddique whose father and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique recently quit the party and joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
He did not receive any official communication about being removed as the Mumbai Youth Congress chief, he claimed.
"I have been repeatedly saying that even though my father Baba Siddique joined the NCP, I will remain with the Congress, but still action was taken against me," Zeeshan said.
Zeeshan Siddique bagged 90 per cent votes in the election for the Mumbai Youth Congress president's post, and still the party took nine months to appoint him to the post, he said, adding, "I was harassed a lot because I am a Muslim."
"Muslims have no place in the Congress. In Mumbai and Karnataka, two Muslim candidates won Youth wing elections but it took nearly a year for them to get the post in both cases," he said.
Zeeshan also said he felt bad about the Congress being in alliance with the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray (as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi), when Thackeray, at a solidarity rally of the alliance in Mumbai, praised the demolition of Babri mosque.
Rahul Gandhi was doing good work but his team was "extremely corrupt," he alleged.
(with PTI inputs)
