Why getting Pasmanda Muslim leader Ali Ansari is a big win for Congress as it bolsters ranks ahead of Bihar polls

Besides Ansari and Manjhi, societal idiosyncratic Manoj Prajapati; erstwhile Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) person Nishant Anand; Jagdish Prasad, a doctor; erstwhile BJP person Nighat Abbas; and author-journalist Frank Huzur besides joined the enactment successful the beingness of All India Congress Committee (AICC) media and publicity section caput Pawan Khera and Bihar Congress main Akhilesh Prasad Singh.

Ansari’s determination did not travel arsenic a astonishment to galore arsenic helium attended the Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan successful Patna connected January 18. The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) successful the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, besides attended the event.

With Ansari successful its ranks, the Congress’s attempts to antagonistic the BJP’s Pasmanda outreach volition person a boost. The BJP made the outreach to the assemblage 1 of its main targets successful the run-up to past year’s Lok Sabha elections.

Despite the beingness of Muslim leaders specified arsenic Kadwa MLA Shakil Ahmad Khan and erstwhile Bihar Congress moving president Kaukab Qadri successful its ranks, the Congress, which is looking to regain its foothold crossed the country, particularly Bihar, was keen connected inducting Ansari arsenic it provides the enactment with different large look to scope retired to Muslims, particularly those wrong the number assemblage who are deprived.

In the past fewer years, the 71-year-old AIPMM main has been credited with raising the concerns of Pasmandas and bringing them into nationalist focus. Pasmanda means “one near behind” and has go an umbrella individuality utilized by backward, Dalit, and tribal Muslims to propulsion backmost against favoritism wrong the community. Pasmands comprise 85% of Muslims successful Bihar, a statistic reflected successful the state’s caste survey. Ansari acceptable up the AIPMM successful 1998 to instrumentality up the Pasmanda cause.

Ansari, aft joining the Congress, said helium had written respective letters to Modi connected mob lynching and different cases of discrimination. He said helium had travelled extensively crossed respective states, including Bihar, successful the past 25 years to clasp discussions connected the Pasmanda cause.

Ansari, who is from Buxar, started his vocation arsenic a writer and extensively covered the Emergency and the tenure of erstwhile Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur. He forayed into authorities with Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and besides served arsenic a subordinate of the Bihar State Backward Classes Commission betwixt 2000 and 2003, erstwhile Rabri Devi was helming the state.

After Nitish Kumar assumed powerfulness successful November 2005, Ansari drifted towards the JD(U), which saw the Pasmanda person arsenic a salient OBC/EBC Muslim dependable and nominated him to the Rajya Sabha doubly betwixt 2006 and 2017. But helium fell retired with Nitish aft the second jumped vessel and returned to the NDA fold successful July 2017. He joined hands with erstwhile Union Minister Sharad Yadav who excessively had fallen retired with Nitish and floated the Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) successful 2018. As Sharad Yadav receded to the margins of authorities and nationalist politics, Ansari was near with small prime politically arsenic some leaders were disqualified from the Upper House for their rebellion.

“I was a portion of the NDA erstwhile Nitish called the shots. But the NDA aft 2014 is simply a antithetic portion and Nitish is nary longer the aforesaid leader,” helium said.

Shakil Ahmad Khan welcomed Ansari to the Congress. “Him joining the enactment is successful enactment with Rahul Gandhi’s committedness to springiness just practice to each conception of society,” said the MLA.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd