The President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari has criticized the government’s handling of JNU situation, describing it as inept and which has tarnished the image of India abroad. Addressing the media in the monthly press meet at Jamaat headquarters in New Delhi today, Maulana Umari said that: had the student’s issue been resolved at the level of the university, it would not have received so much negative publicity.

The role played by a section of the media in the whole JNU episode by conducting media-trials and branding people as anti-nationals was also questionable and gives grist to the suspicion they are biased and prejudiced against certain communities and are being used by some powers to implement their communal agenda. Jamaat strongly condemns the attacks on news reporters, students and faculty of JNU in the Patiala House Courts and terms it as a natural outcome of the politics of hate and violence expounded and practiced by those who believe in the ideology of fascism and are against the pluralistic ethos of this country.

Replying to the question of Jamaat’s support in the forthcoming Assembly polls, the JIH President was non-committal and said that they are evaluating the situation and will take a call once the candidates are finalized While strongly condemning the provocative and communally polarizing speeches made recently by members of the Sangh Parivar and even a Union Minister of State in Agra last week, Jamaat expressed its views through a press note saying these speeches are attempts at dividing the country along communal lines and creating hatred in the masses against a particular community.

It is very surprising that such hate speeches are given a clean chit by the Home Minister and no action is taken against the offenders either by the state and central government giving an impression that the government is soft towards people who want to propagate hate and violence. Jamaat feels that this policy of communal polarization is being promoted deliberately with an eye on the forthcoming assembly elections. Jamaat appeals to the people of India not to fall prey to the provocations of these hatemongers and remain strong and united.

This policy of divide and rule has backfired on the ruling party as the people of India have realized that the government has totally failed on the development agenda and is trying to divert the attention of people by playing the politics of communalism. Jamaat leaders also criticized the BJP-led central government for not giving required budgetary allocations for social sector like education and health and minority welfare. The Union Budget 2016-17 has disappointed the farmers, the poor and the marginalized with the Finance Minister allocating a mere 0.48% of GDP on education and around 1% of GDP for healthcare. The press conference was also addressed by Vice President JIH Nusrat Ali and Secretary General of the Jamaat Salim Engineer.