Mumbai, April 16: Following his previous allegations of match-fixing by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in fielding supposedly weak candidates against the BJP, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar once again criticized the Congress-NCP-Sena (UBT) alliance for not nominating any Muslim candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Tweeting on X.com, the grandson of Babasaheb Ambedkar said, “On Bhim Jayanti today, I want to raise a point on inclusion and exclusion. The MVA has not nominated a single Muslim candidate yet. If the MVA has to exclude Muslims like the BJP, what is the difference between the two?”
Ambedkar also called out the mainstream media for their silence on the exclusion of Muslims.
Former MLA and AIMIM politician Waris Pathan also condemned the MVA for not selecting any Muslim candidates, stating that the ‘so-called secular’ parties’ support for Muslims has been exposed. He pointed out that none of the 48 candidates nominated so far in the state for the Lok Sabha elections is Muslim which suggests that they are only seeking the votes of the community.
Zakir Ahmed, general secretary of the Maharashtra Congress Committee, suggested that Mumbai North Central would be an appropriate seat for a Muslim candidate. Actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar, former minister Naseem Khan, and actor Swara Bhaskar are reportedly vying for an MVA ticket from this seat.
Ravi Shende, Nagpur city president of VBA, mentioned that three of the 41 seats his party is contesting from Maharashtra are Muslim candidates. He claimed that since the VBA was secular, it was extending support to seven MVA candidates.
