Author: FPJ Bureau
Publication: The Free Press Journal
Date: July 3, 2014
URL: http://freepressjournal.in/cong-appeasing-christians-more-than-muslims-sharif/

In a new twist to the minority appeasement charge put forward by senior Congress leader A K Antony, another senior party leader CK Jaffer Sharief accused the party of appeasing the Christian community more than Muslims.

He said party president Sonia Gandhi was favouring Christians while trying to get votes from Muslims.

 “I wish the media examine as to which minority enjoyed the patronage more, the Muslims or the Christians. Which of the two communities was more rewarded politically, socially and administratively? Christians had maximum clout in the UPA government. In UPA, Mr Antony was the senior-most minister. He enjoyed authority and power more than the then Prime Minister did. The Chairman of the UPA (Sonia) was depending on him for views and advice on all important matters,” Sharief stated in a release indicating the existence of a Christian lobby in the Congress echelons.

 Sharief then gave some advice to the party.

 “My advice to the Congress in the present situation is to call for a plenary session of the party, allow freedom to each party member to express his/her views without fear. That is the way to find out the reason for the total defeat of Congress,” he said.

He admitted that a sizable numbers of Muslims had voted for the BJP and Narendra Modi.

“The much-publicised reports of the Sachchar Committee and the Ranganath Misra Committee were thrown into the dustbins of UPA. These are the great favours of UPA to Muslims. No wonder, a sizable section of the Muslims favoured Mr Modi in the last elections,” he said.

In the same breath, Sharief indirectly expressed his support to Modi: “Today, the duty of every Indian, irrespective of religion and region, is to strengthen the hands of the present government to overcome the difficulties caused by weak monsoon and turmoil in Iraq.”

Sharief became upset with the Congress High Command after he was denied the ticket to contest the recent elections from Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency.