The Delhi government’s decision to hike the salaries of Muslim clerics, with Lok Sabha elections around the corner, was an attempt to appease and “mislead” the community, Minister of State and former Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel alleged here on Wednesday.
He also said that the party would drag the issue to the court.
At a dharna organised at Jantar Mantar here, Mr. Goel, BJP secretary R.P. Singh and MP Ramesh Bidhuri said the step was aimed at seeking “votes in exchange” for salary hikes for Imams and Moazzins from ₹10,000 to ₹18,000 and from ₹9,000 to ₹16,000 per month respectively.
“AAP is wooing Muslim voters by hiking salaries in exchange of votes. For political gains, the Delhi Waqf Board too has been revived after years of remaining defunct and was also reconstituted so that Imams and Moazzins can be gathered under one roof,” Mr. Goel alleged.
Mr. Singh, on his part, accused AAP leaders of “offering bribes to voters” during a recent Delhi Waqf Board meeting, while Mr. Bidhuri accused AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal of backing the ‘Tukde-Tukde Gang’.
‘Neglecting Hindu voters’
Mr. Goel said that Mr. Kejriwal, while seeking to appease Muslim voters only, was also “neglecting the sentiments of Hindu voters”.
“The Delhi Waqf Board was dissolved in 2016 over allegations of corruption. The Kejriwal government chose to announce the hike just before the enforcement of model code of conduct as a political gimmick and to mislead the Muslim community...We will file a complaint with the Election Commission against [Mr.] Kejriwal and AAP for the same,” Mr. Goel added.
