Aligarh Muslim University’s ex Vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor is BJP’s new Vice President

News Network
July 29, 2023

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New Delhi, July 29: In an attempt to strengthen its ongoing outreach among Muslim Pasmanda communities, the BJP on Sunday appointed former Aligarh Muslim University vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor as one of its vice presidents.

Mr Mansoor was instrumental in steering the AMU, one of the hotbeds of anti-NRC and CAA protests, on a "middle path", and later closely working with the RSS on its project to promote the teachings of Mughal prince Dara Shikoh on peaceful Hindu-Muslim coexistence that was in contradiction to his brother Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's way of working.

The appointment came on a day when Home Minister Amit Shah was in Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu to launch a book on former president APJ Abdul Kalam, also one of the icons of the party's Pasmanda outreach.

BJP has been continuously reaching out to a section of the Muslim population through Minority Morcha meetings, mostly focused on Pasmanda Muslims, who are from Dalit and other backward class communities. Mr Mansoor was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, the fourth Muslim picked by the BJP for the post in the last few years.

Tariq Mansoor is from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, where Muslims constitute roughly 19% of the state's electorate, and have a sizeable presence in at least 30 Lok Sabha seats, out of which they play a major role in deciding the outcome in 15 to 20 constituencies. 

According to an RSS functionary, Mr Mansoor had impressed the sangh's leadership by his work on the Dara Shikoh project, by effectively using the AMU's Persian department to translate much of Shikoh's work on inter-faith dialogue and project him as an ideal for the Muslim community. He organised seminars and conferences on the same.

Mr Mansoor, a surgeon, has been associated with AMU since the 1970s when he completed his MBBS degree in surgery from the university's JN Medical College. He then went on to do his Master of Surgery (MS) degree in 1982 from the same college. Apart from the BJP's focus on the Pasmanda Muslims, which is important in terms of influence, the RSS has been specifically reaching out to Muslim academics, and people of the community from professions such as medicine, law, and bureaucracy, to make a difference in the minority discourse.

Jamal Siddiqui, head of the BJP's Minority Morcha said Mr Mansoor was a "nationalist Muslim" who has always promoted the ideal of "nation first." "His understanding of the fault lines in the Muslim community is as deep as his knowledge about the country and its history. He has led the students of AMU on the right path and prevented them from being misled. His appointment will help the party to expand better."

He was the fourth person from the Muslim community to be promoted to the Legislative Council by the party in UP since 2017, after Bukkal Nawab, Mohsin Raza, and Danish Azad Ansari.

Mr Mansoor was the AMU Vice Chancellor when it witnessed protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) in 2020. He was then criticised for "not standing up for students" when policemen allegedly barged into the university, as opposed to the VC of Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi, who stood by the students. Mr Mansoor has, however, always said he did his best, and talked about the importance of welfare and socio-economic justice over identity issues.

"Mansoor belongs to Aligarh, the hub of Muslim politics, and comes from an educated, middle class family. His family has doctors and lawyers. This is the kind of Muslims we want to work with to take the nation forward," a BJP functionary from UP said.

Khalid Anis Ansari, associate professor from Azim Premji University, who has been actively raising issues pertaining to the community for many years, has often pointed out that Indian Muslims too are victims of caste-based stratification, and are divided into three main classes, and hundreds of biradaris.

The 'Ashraf' Muslims, or native upper caste converts, for instance Syed, Sheikh, Mughal, Pathan, etc are at the top, and the Syed biradari is highly revered. The movements against the Ashraf dominance have been led by the 'lower' ones - Ajlaf (backward Muslims) and Arzal (Dalit Muslims), and these are known as Pasmandas, the community the BJP has been trying to woo. Only 15 percent of the community come from these upper caste communities, while the rest are largely Pasmanda Muslims. The BJP has planned a massive Sneh Yatra to reach out to these Pasmanda Muslims in the coming days.

Muslim intellectuals and opposition parties have, however, said this was an attempt by the BJP to create a divide among the Muslim community, and that often the Muslim victims of hate crimes or economic boycott were Pasmanda themselves.

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News Network
November 1,2024

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Bengaluru, Nov 1: Hardline BJP leader and Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "Nationalise Waqf Assets", alleging Waqf board of "blatant violation" in claiming of the lands of Farmers, temples and mutts.

Taking to his social media, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal posted on X, saying "I have written a letter to the hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi ji to Nationalize the Waqf Assets in view of the arbitrary, blatant violation in claiming of the lands of Farmers, Landowners, Temples, Trusts and Mutts across the country by the Waqf board. All the citizens of the country have equal rights on the land. If the motive of Waqf is welfare and social service, this has to be done without bias and religious discrimination as India is a secular nation."

Additionally, Vijayapura MLA also attached the letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his post.

Earlier, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya had accused the Waqf Board of encroaching on thousands of acres of farmers' lands with the support of the Karnataka government.

Surya stated, "There have been multiple press conferences and videos in the public domain where the Minister himself has admitted that these Waqf adalats are being conducted under the Chief Minister's instructions. This is a grave matter, where thousands of acres of farmers' lands are being encroached upon by the Waqf Board with the active support and collusion of the State Government."

He mentioned that, in recent days, farmers from various districts across Karnataka have reported that, without prior notice, ownership of their lands has been abruptly transferred to the Waqf Board.

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge criticised BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, claiming he has done nothing for Bengaluru. Kharge's remarks came in response to the BJP MP's accusations regarding Waqf Board land encroachment.

The Congress leader assured that the Karnataka government is committed to protecting farmers' properties.

Kharge further questioned the BJP's record on protecting temples during its previous government, stating that the Karnataka government is committed to safeguarding temples and common people's properties.

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News Network
October 22,2024

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Bengaluru, Oct 22: Heavy rainfall has once again turned Bengaluru’s streets into rivers, with large-scale waterlogging paralyzing India’s IT capital. As residents brace for more storms, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts a day filled with thunderstorms, predicting minimum temperatures around 21°C.

"Bengaluru is expected to see a cloudy sky today, with light to moderate rainfall and thunderstorms impacting both urban and rural regions," stated the IMD. The maximum temperature is likely to reach 29°C, while the minimum will hover at 21°C.

Waterlogged streets have significantly slowed down traffic, with major bottlenecks reported along Sarjapura Road near the Wipro and RBD Layout junctions, according to police reports.

The flooding has sparked fresh criticism from opposition parties, who have seized the opportunity to target the Congress-led state government’s handling of the city's infrastructure.

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News Network
October 26,2024

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Iran’s air defense force has confirmed Israeli attacks targeting positions in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces, saying the aggression was successfully thwarted. 

The Zionist regime launched its strike against Iran early Saturday, weeks after the Islamic Republic’s massive ballistic missile barrage on Israel, with the Zionist military saying the “precise strikes” by the Israeli Air Force targeted strategic military sites — specifically drone and ballistic missile manufacturing and launch sites, as well as air defense batteries.

The Iran's integrated air defense system successfully intercepted and countered the act of aggression. 

“Despite the previous warnings of the officials of the Islamic Republic to the criminal and illegal Zionist regime to avoid any adventurous action, this fake regime attacked parts of military centers in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam this morning in a tension-causing action,” the air defense force said in a statement on Saturday morning.

The attacks caused limited damage in some locations and the dimensions of the incident are under investigation, the statement added.

Earlier, security sources said the loud sounds heard by some people in the vicinity of Tehran were due to the activation of air defense systems.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency cited a security source as saying on Saturday morning some of the sounds heard in the capital were caused by “defense activity in Tehran.”

The news agency said there were no reports of incidents that required assistance and that the situation at Mehrabad International Airport and the Imam Khomeini International Airport was “normal.”

IRNA said Iranian air defenses “successfully shot down adversarial targets in the airspace around Tehran province.”

Footage shared online captured what appeared to be interceptions over the Iranian capital.

Tasnim News Agency reported on Saturday morning that the situation was normal at Imam Khomeini International Airport and Mehrabad Airport.

No missile strike or impact occurred on Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) military centers in the west and southwest of Tehran, the agency reported.

According to information obtained by the news agency, there has been no impact on IRGC military centers in the west or southwest of Tehran.

The sounds heard are related to the army’s air defenses engaging Israeli military actions in three areas around Tehran.

Informed sources told Tasnim that Iran is ready to respond to Israeli aggression, "as previously stated."

"Iran reserves its right to respond to any form of aggression, and there is no doubt that Israel will receive a proportional reaction to any action taken."

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