Muslim leaderssore with UF

July 18: Speakers at the meeting before the Idd-e-Milad procession at the Khilafat House this afternoon reminded chief guest Union Railway Minister Ram Vilas Paswan of the promises made by the UF government to Muslims.While Abu Asim Azmi, city president of the Samajwadi Party, hit out at Union Home Minister Indrajit Gupta for refusing an audience to Muslims leaders who wanted to submit a memorandum on TADA detenue, Khilafat committee chairman Rafiq Zakaria told Paswan, “You cannot afford to be apologetic about Muslims.”

Zakaria said the Khilafat Movement was being totally ignored in the Golden Jubilee (Independence Day) celebrations being chalked out in Delhi. Zakaria said, “The biggest movement against the British was started from this very Khilafat House in August 1920.”

He said it was a misconception that only Muslims were responsible for partition. “Hindus were equally responsible, hostilities had been created,” he said.

Paswan himself did not disappoint the crowd. He said when he arrived today he found the shadow of death hanging over the city. “Shahar pe maut ka saya hai,” he said to loud cheer. He said there was no difference between caste and communal riots. “Look how dalits were killed in Ramabai Nagar,” he said.