Shia party to align with Sena-BJP?

Fed up with alleged Congress apathy and their marginalisation within the Muslim community, a group of Shias came together to launch the Shia People's Party in the city yesterday.
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The launch was held at the Gateway of India on the occasion of the birthday of Hazrat Imam Mahdi (AS).

And, in what will cause leaders of secular parties to have sleepless nights, members of the Shia People's party said they had no qualms aligning with Hindu right-wing parties like the BJP and the Shiv Sena.

"We will align with any party, including the BJP, Shiv Sena and the MNS, but we will not align with the Congress. We will align with any party that works for the betterment of the country.

Besides, the Shias had excellent relations with the BJP when Atal Behari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister," said Syed Ziyarath Hussain, a party member.

"The Congress has ignored us because we are a minority even in the Muslim community and we don't have any representation in the party or in the government. We were contemplating launching the party for quite some time, but our Ulema was not permitting us.

Now, we will work to protect the interests of the Shias, who are not even able to avail the opportunities provided by the government to minorities," he added.

Vote division
The move to form a separate Shia party is bound to have bigger repercussions within the Muslim community and the minority politics of the country. Hitherto, most political parties saw the Muslim community as a block of votes.
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However, a division among the Muslim voters will be a problem for political parties in the state as well as the country.

Advocate Abbas Kazmi, who is all set to head the party, said, "We will contest the municipal elections in the city first and then spread to other parts of the country.

Number game
2-3 crore: The number of Shias in the country
7 lakh: Their strength in Mumbai