There is no sense of striving for a common bond of citizenship which rises above these petty differences for fighting against the evils of poverty, corruption, malnutrition,….
The most disappointing thing about this is the Aam Aadmi Party was supposed to be a party with a difference (also Shazia Ilmi is a highly qualified woman who should know better than to spout nonsense). If you tarnish your brand in this manner, why should the common citizen vote for you?
Days before the crucial fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections, Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) leader Shazia Ilmi has landed into a controversy because of
her alleged “Muslims ought to be communal this time” remark.
The party distanced itself from her remark and said she should not have said it.
“Muslims are very secular. Muslims ought to be more communal. (They) do not vote for their own. (AAP leader) Arvind Kejriwal
is your own. I say, it is enough of secularism,” Ilmi, who contested
the Lok Sabha polls from Ghaziabad earlier in the month, is seen saying
in the video.
“Here helping the Congress win, there someone
else. Please do not be so secular. Muslims are secular. They will
continue to vote for others. Other parties don’t do such things?” she
said.
It is a short 1.19 minute video clip, apparently a sting
operation, where Ilmi is seen talking to Muslims. The video, believed to
be shot in Mumbai, where she had gone for campaigning for AAP’s South
Mumbai candidate Mira Sanyal, shows Ilmi talking with her head covered
with a dupatta. Mumbai goes to polls on April 24.
Ilmi, a member
of AAP’s national executive, is seen further saying “agree, this is
controversial, but this is important” in reaction to a person sitting
next to her who said “we are afraid, we have to vote”.
The clip ends with Ilmi saying, “Kaam badal dijiye … lado aur jito (change the work. Fight and win).”
……
Link: http://www.hindustantimes.com/elections2014/state-of-the-states/shazia-ilmi-muslims-too-secular-be-communal-this-time/article1-1211024.aspx
……
regards