Agra Muslims protest against BJP leaders' statements

The Muslim groups have asked the President to tell BJP politicians to stop making communal statements.

Muslim groups in Agra on Thursday demonstrated against the BJP, accusing its leaders of making communal statements.

They marched to the Agra district magistrate's office and gave the officer a memorandum addressed to President Pranab Mukherjee.

In the memorandum, the groups asked the President to tell BJP politicians to stop making communal statements, such as linking madrasas and meat export to terrorism and threatening to end the Muslim Personal Law Board.

Sami Agai, president, Bhartiya Muslim Vikas Parishad, some statements by senior BJP leaders were alienating the Muslims and forcing them to live in constant fear of reprisals.

"Hindus and Muslims are two eyes of this country and both eyes only see the welfare of the people," Agai told IndiaToday.in.

Agai said it was the constitutional responsibility of the government to preserve Muslim culture, traditions and lifestyle.

No compromise can be accepted on this, he said.
He said the Muslim Personal Law, in existence before Independence, gave Muslims an identity in the country and should not be abrogated.

Irfan Salim, district president, Muslim Action Committee, said they took out "a peace march" to remind the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assurance of "Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas".

If Muslims are threatened with violence, their religious and cultural identities are wiped out, how will they prosper in this country? he said.

He said that Islam only taught peace and it was wrong to link madrasas to terrorism.