New Delhi

BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain on Monday sharply criticised Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Mahmood Madani for his recent speech in Bhopal, alleging that the cleric was attempting to provoke and mislead Indian Muslims.

Reacting to Madani’s statement that “whenever there is oppression, there will be jihad,” Hussain called the remark “misleading, dangerous and intended to create unrest.”
“What is he trying to prove by saying there will be jihad wherever there is oppression? Where in India is oppression taking place?” Hussain asked, warning that “no one should conspire to incite Muslims or lead them on the path of confrontation.”

Hussain asserted that Indian Muslims enjoy unparalleled freedoms in the country.
“Muslims cannot find a better country than India, a better friend than a Hindu, a better Constitution than India, or a better leader than Modi,” he said, adding that the community itself rejects Madani’s call for “jihad”.

The BJP leader also reacted strongly to Madani’s criticism of the Supreme Court.
“He is telling people not to trust the Supreme Court and saying it is not supreme. This is very unfortunate, and I strongly condemn it,” Hussain said.

During the National Governing Body meeting of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind in Bhopal on Saturday, Madani had raised concerns about judicial independence, mob lynchings, bulldozer actions, anti-conversion laws and the seizure of Waqf properties. He also alleged that judgments on matters such as the Babri Masjid and triple talaq indicated that courts were working under government pressure.

Madani said, “The Supreme Court is worthy of being called supreme only when it upholds the Constitution. If it does not, it cannot be called supreme.”

He also commented on Vande Mataram, saying that “living communities resist challenges,” while “dead communities surrender.”

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Hussain dismissed these statements as fear-mongering, insisting, “Jihad cannot be permitted in India.”