Pamphlets to meetings: Candidates in prison for 2020 riots cases, their families enter Delhi election arena

The Indian Express hits the crushed and speaks to their families arsenic they statesman campaigning.

In Okhla, a wife’s tearful plea

In the crowded Shaheen Bagh Market, erstwhile the epicentre of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, beingness continues arsenic usual  — shopkeepers haggle implicit prices, visitors weave done constrictive stalls, and the aerial buzzes with the aroma of thoroughfare food.

Amid this acquainted chaos steps guardant Shifa’s woman Naureen. She moves from store to shop, handing retired pamphlets astir her husband, portion making a request: “Unke liye dua karna aur ballot dena (Pray and ballot for him).”

Rehman, the president of the Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni Association, has been successful jailhouse since April 2020. “I americium doing this to support him alive, to guarantee radical don’t hide him,” Naureen tells The Indian Express.

Standing by Naureen’s broadside are Rehman’s family, friends, and a radical of supporters, including a fewer unit members from Jamia Millia Islamia. Together, they locomotion done the maze-like market, handing retired flyers. Their inexperience shows, erstwhile they chant slogans successful a dependable tinged with self-consciousness: “Shifa tum sangharsh karo, hum tumhare saath hain” (Shifa, you combat on, we are with you).

Placing her manus connected the caput of Kazim, a 15-year-old lad helping his parents merchantability fabric, Naureen says, “Tum padhna, tum toh hamare padhe likhe ladke ho. Aur apne Amma-Abba ko padh ke sunana, unko bolna ki dua karein aur ballot dein. (You are well-read, you work it retired to your parent and father, archer them to commune and ballot for Shifa.”)

After she moves on, Kazim begins speechmaking the pamphlet aloud.

While Naureen’s run has resonated with some, skepticism persists. Shaukat Ali, a mattress store proprietor successful the market, says, “Most radical present don’t recognize democracy, and galore are illiterate… I learned astir him (Shifa) done friends who told maine helium was a adjuvant person, a Muslim intellectual. But radical are inactive unsure astir whom to ballot for.”

Rehan, a Jamia pupil who runs a cigaret stall successful Batla House, says, “Many see Amanatullah bhai (the sitting AAP MLA) similar a brother, but helium hasn’t done overmuch successful the past 5 years… Ariba Khan (the Congress candidate) is besides strong… Others sympathise with Shifa bhai, but fearfulness that AIMIM’s beingness volition divided votes and assistance BJP win.”

At a jalsa (public meeting) astatine Batla House aboriginal that evening, Naureen takes the stage. Behind her, posters of her hubby read: “Qaid hoon magar toota nahi hoon (I americium imprisoned, but I americium not broken).”

She begins: “I americium present contiguous not arsenic Naureen but arsenic Shifa-ur-Rehman’s wife. Opposing candidates are weaving a communicative that we volition pb to a disagreement successful Okhla, which volition marque the BJP win. But if it’s specified a interest past wherefore don’t they measurement back, is it conscionable Okhla and Mustafabad’s work to support the BJP retired of power?”

Her dependable trembles arsenic she speaks of her husband’s plight: “During the lockdown, we each felt that the confinement of our homes was unbearable, we were each praying for it to end. Imagine what my hubby and others are enduring…”

As she continues, her emotions overflow. “I don’t cognize however to talk similar a politician, I americium an mean woman, 1 of you… Don’t resistance maine into debates astir governmental issues I don’t person answers to. For me, the biggest contented is my husband, who has been successful jailhouse for 5 years. Please, deliberation with your hearts and ballot for Shifa; erstwhile helium is out, helium volition get each your issues resolved…”

While the AIMIM’s introduction into the Delhi Assembly polls has led to accusations from large governmental figures of them starring to a Muslim ballot divide, the party’s Delhi spokesperson, Shoaib Jamai, says, “We are warring lone 2 seats to springiness a beardown governmental connection to different parties and radical who labelled america negatively. In some Okhla and Mustafabad, our organisation and candidates are beardown capable to situation the existing MLAs.”

“This is the grounds that our enactment is simply a liable one; we did not travel present to harm immoderate secular authorities but to combat for ourselves and to marque a beardown dependable for the Muslim community.”

In Mustafabad, poesy arsenic campaign 

On Monday night, Old Mustafabad’s SM Marriage Hall plays big to a canvass gathering — of erstwhile AAP councillor Tahir Hussain. His 20-year-old lad Shadab takes the stage, delivering an code connected behalf of his begetter successful the signifier of poetry:

“Mere walid sahab ne aap sabke liye ek paigham bheja: 

Inn aasuon ki laaj zara tum bhi rakh lena,

Bhulakar har ghila shikwa mujhe apna bana lena,

Dekar ballot mujhe apna, mujhe tum nayi zindagi dena.”

(“My begetter has sent you a message: Honour these tears, and marque maine yours by forgiving grievances. Give maine a caller beingness by casting your ballot for me.”)

Shadab past highlights his father’s contributions to the AAP and alleges that the enactment abandoned him aft his apprehension successful transportation with the 2020 riots. Tahir is accused of the execution of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma during the protests and is presently successful jail.

“When my begetter was with AAP, helium contributed importantly to the party. But erstwhile it came to supporting him, they distanced themselves instantly…,” helium says.

Tahir’s wife, Shama Anjum, has been starring a door-to-door run portion his elder son, Sharikh Hussain, manages his ineligible matters. Posters displayed astatine the gathering featured Tahir’s representation alongside AIMIM’s emblem with the slogan, “Aapki duaon ka talib (The seeker of your prayers)”.

For Mustafabad’s residents, the riots person near an imprint. Around 100 supporters of Tahir, who gathered for the nationalist meeting, criticised the AAP’s handling of the riots. “If AAP’s Hindu MLAs had worked to calm Hindu areas and Muslim MLAs had done the aforesaid successful Muslim areas, overmuch suffering could person been avoided,” says Muqarram, 1 of the supporters.
He besides made repeated attempts to disregard claims of the AIMIM diving the Muslim ballot astatine the BJP’s behest. He asks, “Is it lone Muslims’ work to decision the BJP? Is nary 1 other accountable?”

He past recited a ghazal by Hastimal Hasti:

“Khud chirag prohibition ke chalo waqt ke andhere mein,

Maangi hui roshni se andhere nahi bujhte.”

(Be a lamp successful the acheronian of time; borrowed airy cannot dispel darkness).

Dr Irshad Chauhan, AIMIM subordinate from Mustafabad, took the signifier adjacent to emphasise governmental representation: “This is simply a combat for our rightful share. Growing up, we learned that each communities — Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian — are brothers and sisters, but contiguous the combat is for our stock successful governmental representation. Vote for Tahir bhai if you privation your issues to scope the Delhi Assembly.”

He concluded with a shair (couplet) by Rana Sayeed Doshi:

“Kisi ka kal sawaara ja raha hai, humein kishton mein maara ja raha hai,

Kisi ki tajposhi ho rahi hai, kisi ka sar utaara ja raha hai.”

(“While someone’s aboriginal is being secured, we are being eliminated spot by bit; While 1 is crowned, another’s caput is brought down”).