Daijiworld Media Network - Patna

Patna, Jan 5: Congress leader Ali Anwar Ansari, former Rajya Sabha MP and head of the All India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz (AIPMM), has emphasised that Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s social justice politics will remain incomplete unless it fully includes Pasmanda Muslims.

Ansari, who joined the Congress ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, told The Indian Express that secular parties must work for backward Muslims rather than taking their votes for granted. “Rahul Gandhi spoke about social justice with EBCs (Extremely Backward Classes), OBCs, Dalits and Muslims at its fulcrum. While we are disappointed with the Bihar results, five states, including West Bengal, will go to the polls this year,” he said.

He stressed that Congress needed to move beyond Hindu-Muslim polarisation and communalism. “The Pasmanda movement can neutralise Muslim communalism,” said the AIPMM chief, who served as a two-time Rajya Sabha MP on a JD(U) ticket before joining Congress.

Ansari pointed out that while Rahul Gandhi mentioned Pasmanda Muslims occasionally, there has been little follow-up action. “Either there should be a devoted Pasmanda cell in the party, or an EBC-Pasmanda cell could work. The Sachchar Committee and Rangnath Mishra Commission have also endorsed the recognition of Pasmanda Muslims. Just as there are EBCs among Hindus, there are Pasmandas among Muslims. Bihar’s caste-based survey has identified 10.5% Muslim EBCs or Pasmandas,” he added.

Ansari plans a series of meetings under the AIPMM banner to mobilise support. Over a dozen EBC, Dalit, and Muslim leaders, including Ansari, had joined Congress during Rahul Gandhi’s Samvidhan Bachao (Save the Constitution) meetings in Patna prior to the Bihar elections, aiming to strengthen the party’s outreach among backward communities.