Mumbai, Aug 1: Samajwadi Party leader M.F. Ghosi demanded that Raheen, the widow of hanged terrorist Yakub Memon, be nominated to the Rajya Sabha - leading to his being sacked as the Mumbai unit's vice president.
Earlier, Azmi had sought an explanation from Ghosi for his controversial demand.
Ghosi said it was his personal view and intended to make the SP think on these lines since Raheen had been declared innocent in the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts and had suffered a lot in the past.
The demand came on Friday a day after Memon, 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict, was hanged in Nagpur Central Jail.
In the letter, Ghosi described Raheen as a "helpless woman" who had suffered a lot in prision.
"She is like many such Muslims in the country and we have to fight for them... We should make Raheen a Rajya Sabha MP and make her the voice of the weak and helpless people," Ghosi said in his letter to Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Ghosi's demand was being viewed in some quarters as an attempt to checkmate the growing influence of the Hyderabad-based All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen among Muslims in the city and other parts of Maharashtra.
Earlier report:
SP leader demands Rajya Sabha seat for Yakub Memon’s widow
Two days after Memon was hanged in the Nagpur Central Jail, Ghosi, the Maharashtra SP unit vice president, described Memon’s wife Raheen as “helpless”.
“Raheen was in jail for many years. How much she would have suffered.. Today I find Raheen helpless and there are many such Muslims in the country who find themselves helpless and for whom we have to fight for. We should make Raheen a Rajya Sabha MP and make her the voice of weak and helpless people,” Ghosi said in a letter to the SP chief.
State party president Abu Asim Azmi, however, distanced himself from the matter, saying that an explanation will be sought from Ghosi on the content of his letter.
“He (Ghosi) has not consulted the party before making irresponsible comments. He has written the letter in his personal capacity. He will be asked to explain his stand, following which necessary action will be taken against him,” Azmi said.
Congress said the decision to hang Memon was taken by the Supreme Court and should thus, not be politicised.
“This is their internal party matter. But it seems more like their tacit agenda to communalise the issue. The decision to hang Memon was taken by the Supreme Court and thus the matter should not be politicised now,” Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said.
BJP leader Madhav Bhandari said Ghosi’s comments prove that SP is only interested in playing vote-bank politics and that the party should come out and clear its stand on the issue.
“Every person has the right to suggest something to his party. But every leader needs to show some constraint while making suggestions. SP has to clear its stand and if he is acting against party line, then party should take some serious action. This is sheer exploitation of votebank politics,” he said.
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