State Jamaat moves Centre demanding Khilangia Muslim Development Board

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Oct 5: A team of Jamaat Ulama-e-Assam leaders have met Union Surface Transport and tiol Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari recently with the demand of setting up a Khilangia Muslim Development Board in Assam.

The team requested the Union minister to solve the problems being faced by the Muslims of Assam where Muslims voters, as they claim, will be the deciding factor in the 2016 Assembly elections.

Jamaat Ulama-e-Assam chief convener jmul Alam Lashkar, president Mufti Eduda Rahman Quasimi and organizing secretary Mukleswar Rahman said that Muslims in Assam are majority in as many as 49 LACs, and deciding factors in 11 of them. The 11 LACs are Morigaon, gaon, Dhubri, Barpeta, Darrang, Goalpara, Bongaigaon, Hailakandi, Karimganj North and lbari.

Quoting the 2011 census, they said Assam has 43.2 per cent Muslim population, next only to Jammu & Kashmir. The break-up of Muslim population in Assam, according to them, is six per cent indigenous Muslims and 28.2 per cent Bengali and other Muslims. They said by taking such statistics in mind, a Khilangia Muslim Development Board should be set up in Assam.

Jamaat Ulama-e-Assam, as its leaders claim, has 1.50 lakh members in Assam who have been working at the grassroots level and are set to help the BJP in the forthcoming Assembly elections in the State.

According to Jaamat leaders, the Congress, AGP and the AIUDF have been depriving the Muslim voters over the years. They said that Muslim votes are considered block votes as they exercise their franchise following the footsteps of Maulas, Maulabis, Hajis, Quaris, Muftis and others.

The Jamaat team also raised the demand for Dhubri-Phulbari  bridge and Howraghat-Debosthan Murabagar highway via Nilbagan, besides CBI probe into the encroachment of Wakf Board lands in Assam.