Madani wants Deoband fatwa to 'defend Islam' in Modi era

Pic courtesy: ANI

New Delhi: Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind leader Maulana Mahmood Madani has urged Darul Uloom Deoband to issue a fatwa on how to defend Islam in the wake of increasing campaigns against minorities during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rule, reports said on Thursday.

As per the reports, the prominent Muslim leader has planned a rally in Delhi on May 16, which will be attended by a number of religious leaders. He hopes to issue the fatwa on the same day as the Modi government completes its one year in office.

Reacting to the development, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today said that his government has neither been founded with a fatwa nor will it run as per any such order.

Madani's latest move is being viewed as a political ploy ahead of crucial Bihar Assembly polls.

Speaking on the issue, Janata Dal (United) leader KC Tyagi opined that the proposed move is meant to weaken the secular forces which would give an upper hand to the BJP to polarise the voters. The Rajya Sabha MP further said that the grand alliance of JD(U), Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), and Janata Dal (Secular) can tackle the BJP in Bihar.

Last year, the Narendra Modi government appointed Madani, a former Rajya Sabha member, to an official panel set up to commemorate Jawaharlal Nehru’s 125th birth anniversary.

After BJP's impressive win under the leadership of Modi in Lok Sabha polls, Madani had said that "the mandate of the people should be accepted with open heart. It is his responsibility to rise above the considerations of caste and creed and to work for the economic development of the country. He should ensure that there is no discrimination and that equal opportunity is provided to all".