On 3rd February, a controversial Islamic cleric and chief of the Ittihad-e-Millat Council party, Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan criticised the recent decision of the central government to award Bharat Ratna to veteran politician Lal Krishna Advani.
Tauqeer Raza, known for his incendiary remarks, expressed his views during a press interaction. He accused Advani of playing divisive politics and spreading hatred in the country. In a shocking conclusion to the remarks, Maulana threatened a civil war in the country.
Tauqeer Raza claimed that if the Rath Yatra that Lal Krishna Advani took in the 1990s was for progress, prosperity, peace, and brotherhood in the country, he deserves the award. However, according to him, Advani was awarded for playing politics of division and spreading hatred in the country. He termed it as an “insult to Bharat Ratna”.
He said that the current political situation in the country is overshadowed with “hatred, dishonesty, and injustice”, and awarding someone “involved in creating such an environment was an insult to the prestigious award”.
He said, “If anyone is responsible for these issues, it is Lal Krishna Advani.” He continued to express his dismay over awarding Advani. He said that the award should be given to those accepted by all sections of the society and whose actions are admired by the nation.
“The one who has divided the country, spread hatred, and created an atmosphere of hatred in the country should not be given Bharat Ratna,” the Maulana said.
The irked Islamic cleric did not stop there and warned of a civil war in the country. He said that it is due to the patience practiced by Muslims that religious tensions are not escalating. Cautioning against Muslims losing control, he said, “If our youth go out of control, then no one can save India from a civil war.”
He claimed that Muslims want peace and do not want an atmosphere of religious fanaticism, demolitions of mosques, lynching of Muslims and destruction of their cultural symbols.
The controversial remarks by Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan are not new. Tauqeer Raza, who came out in support of Congress in the 2022 Assembly Elections in Uttar Pradesh, has repeatedly warned of riots.
In April 2022, irked by the bulldozer action against criminals in UP, he said, “If this government continues to do such injustice, the countrywide Jail Bharo Andolan will become so big that government will be unable to contain it. And the day Muslims come to the streets, one must understand that they will be uncontrollable. Therefore, I warn the government and Narendra Modi in particular that if he fails to correct this way of taking action with immediate effect….. And his silence. You are the Prime Minister for all of us. Such acts are taking place in your country, and you remain silent?”
In January 2022, he made similar remarks while addressing a crowd of 20 lakh Muslims. He said, “I see the anger within my Muslim youths, and I am afraid that the day this anger bursts out, the day I lose control over them… I want to warn my Hindu brothers that I’m scared that the day my Muslim youths are forced to take the law into their hands, you will not find a place to hide anywhere in India.”
Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan has allied with Congress on multiple occasions. He also supported the party in the 2009 General Elections in UP.