Meet Abbas Siddiqui: The Islamist ally of Congress, Left in West Bengal

On Monday, the West Bengal unit of the BJP put out a video drawing analogies between the slogans of the separatist leaders of the Muslim League in 1946 to that of the latest speech by Peerzada-turned-politician Abbas Siddiqui. The BJP tweeted, “Ladke lenga Pakistan (We will fight until we get Pakistan) – Muslim League leaders, 1946. Matribhumi ke saadhin korbo (We will gain independence for our homeland) – Abbas Siddiqui 2021.”
While addressing a big gathering of supporters on the Bridage Parade Ground in Kolkata, Abbas Siddiqui remarked, “I want to say this to all Bengalis, and my beloved folks to vote for the CPIM wherever they field their candidates. In the next election, we will free our homeland even if it requires shedding our blood for it.” As might be seen within the video, Abbas Siddiqui’s vicious election rhetoric of separatism and violence was cheered on by numerous supporters.
লড়কে লেঙ্গে পাকিস্তান – মুসলিম লিগের নেতারা ১৯৪৬মাতৃভূমিকে স্বাধীন করবো – আব্বাস সিদ্দিকী ২০২১ pic.twitter.com/3DY7pHzNEx— BJP Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) March 1, 2021
The ‘secular’ alliance of Abbas Siddiqui, Congress and Left
The 24-year-old Siddiqui, who has made a reputation for himself as a ‘Peerzada (cleric)’, had been hinting at becoming a member of electoral politics since final 12 months. He hails from Furfura Sharif village in Hooghly district and yields sturdy affect over younger Muslim voters within the 4 districts of Hooghly, Howrah, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas. Sensing a possibility to make his strategy to the State Legislative Assembly, he floated the Indian Secular Front (ISF) social gathering in January this 12 months.
Although he had initially deliberate to align with Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), the plan didn’t materialise. He as an alternative joined fingers with the Communist social gathering and the Congress, though they’ve misplaced floor within the State. Despite not forging an alliance with Owaisi, Siddiqui has knowledgeable that he won’t oppose AIMIM in West Bengal. Given that Owaisi didn’t ally with the Congress-Left-ISF, the Muslim vote will get divided between in 3 methods (with Trinamool Congress as a serious participant within the political area).
Abbas Siddiqui realises that his affect over the Muslim vote financial institution is restricted to the youth in South Bengal whereas Congress has a stronghold in Muslim-dominated areas of Malda, Murshidabad, and North Dinajpur in North Bengal. The alliance is due to this fact mutually helpful. While Congress has been thriving on Muslim appeasement, it has shunned allying with the Owaisi because of its ‘extreme rhetorics’. However, Siddiqui’s incendiary rhetoric, concern mongering and requires ‘divine intervention’ for loss of life of Hindus have been conveniently ignored by the Left or the Congress.
A vocal Anti-CAA critic who threatened to dam Kolkata airport
In December 2019, the Indian authorities handed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to fasttrack the citizenship of people who’ve come to India illegally from the neighbouring international locations of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh to keep away from spiritual persecution. While the regulation coated solely the spiritual minorities from these 3 international locations, Islamists and left-liberal foyer had insinuated that Indian Muslims will lose their citizenship.
Amidst the raging debate on CAA, Abbas Siddiqui had threatened to dam Kolkata airport if the regulation was not revoked. Claiming that the citizenship regulation was unfair to the Muslim inhabitants of the nation, the cleric urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to both transfer the Supreme Court or convey a decision towards CAA in State Assembly. Speaking to Times Now, Siddiqui warned her to take fast steps or else danger shedding the help of Muslims in West Bengal.
Abbas Siddiqui had urged Allah to kill 50 crore Indians, later made a U-turn
During the outbreak of the lethal Coronavirus on this planet, a video of Abbas Siddiqui shot on February 26 final 12 months had gone viral on social media. He was seen addressing a big gathering of followers and praying to Allah to kill 50 crore Indians with the virus.
In the video, the cleric was heard referring to anti-Hindu Delhi riots and saying, “Recently I have got the news that mosques are being set on fire, mosques are being burnt for the last two days. I think something is going to happen within a month. May Allah accept our prayers. May Allah send such a terrible virus to India that ten to twenty to fifty crore people die in India. Am I saying something wrong? It is absolutely blissful.”
His genocidal assertion was well-received by his followers as they applauded in unison. Siddiqui additionally mentioned that he didn’t thoughts whether or not he would die or survive however he would certainly take Hindus with him. However, he later claimed that he was quoted ‘out of context.’ In an try to water down the vitriol that he spewed earlier, Siddiqui went on to say that he revered “India’s secularism” and that he had labored for the individuals, irrespective of faith and caste.
Abbas Siddiqui championed Islamic supremacy, concern mongering and altering inhabitants demographics
The ever-changing inhabitants demographics of West Bengal had been a matter of concern for the Hindu inhabitants within the State. With a low start price, coupled with mass infiltration of unlawful Muslim immigrants from the neighbouring nation of Bangladesh, Hindus have already been outnumbered in Murshidabad, Malda and Uttar Dinajpur districts. In an undated video that surfaced on social media in November final 12 months, Islamic cleric Abbas Siddiqui had revealed that Muslims constituted ‘the majority’ within the State of West Bengal.
“This is Bengal. We (Muslims) are not minorities here. We are the majority here. Keep this in mind. We have a 35% population in the State,” he emphasised. Siddiqui additionally claimed that such a factor was potential as Adivasis, Matuas and Dalits didn’t fall into the Hindu fold. “If we do not come to power next time, they (Hindus) will rape our women in front of our eyes. Do you understand? You cannot do anything if you do not have power in your hands,” Siddiqui was seen fear-mongering at a public rally.
Electoral challenges of Abbas Siddiqui
Abbas Siddiqui is junior within the hierarchy of pirzadas. To add to that, his uncle Toha Siddiqui is a vocal supporter of the Trinamool Congress. Many Bengali Muslims revere pirzadas to an extent that they abhor the thought of them partaking in politics. With the rising affect of Salafi Islam within the State, different Islamic preachers have been labelling Sufis similar to Siddiqui as an ‘apostate.
Nevertheless, to extend the scope of his electoral possibilities, he has appealed that the ISF additionally represents the pursuits of Dalits and tribals. This electoral technique of ‘Dalit-Muslim unity’ has additionally been used efficiently by Owaisi’s AIMIM throughout the Lok Sabha elections in Aurangabad in Maharashtra. However, TMC chief Arup Biswas commented, “The ISF will hardly be viewed as a secular party. It is an Islamic party and will be painted as such.”