New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Congress of dividing Hindus along caste and linguistic lines while ignoring the issue of Muslim castes, particularly the Pasmanda Muslims who face discrimination.
This community accounts for approximately 85 per cent of Indian Muslims and includes Dalit and backwards-caste Muslims and faces significant marginalisation.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “Congress divides Hindus on caste and linguistic lines but remains silent about the caste hierarchy within Muslim society. Today 85 per cent Pasmanda Muslims face huge discrimination by upper caste/class Muslims but Congress doesn’t want to talk about this reality.”
He emphasised that Congress has historically advocated for the rights of disadvantaged groups in Hindu society, but has ignored the discrimination faced by Pasmanda Muslims at the hands of upper-caste Muslims, such as those from the Syed community.
“A few days ago, I raised the issue of how 5-6 per cent of Upper-Class Muslims (Syeds) discriminate against 85 per cent of us Pasmandas. Today I am very grateful that PM Narendra Modi has exposed how the Congress ecosystem which wants to do caste politics with Hindus, doesn’t say anything about this unbearable discrimination we face. Upper-class (Syeds) won’t even let us come nearby, sit with us or allow marriages. This is the truth,” he said.
Poonawalla argued that Congress has used the threat of BJP and RSS to unify Muslim voters, a strategy he called "vote jihad."
He also criticised Congress for not addressing the socio-economic upliftment of Muslims, pointing out that BJP-led initiatives like ration distribution and the Ayushman Bharat health scheme have been implemented without any discrimination.
He further claimed that Muslims in BJP-ruled states like Gujarat are economically better off than those in non-BJP states like West Bengal, where the party has never been in power.
Poonawalla accused Congress of neglecting Muslim welfare, stating that the party only incites division for political gain without working towards the betterment of marginalised groups such as the Pasmanda community.