AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel on Friday said he would “cut off the hand of any individual who dares to touch Muslim women with ill intent”, amid a controversy triggered by remarks made after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was seen pulling down a woman’s hijab.
Addressing a rally in Jalna while campaigning for AIMIM candidates in the January 15 municipal corporation elections, Jaleel criticised what he described as the silence of so-called secular parties on issues concerning Muslims.
“A minister from Uttar Pradesh made an objectionable comment. If anyone dares to touch a Muslim sister with ill intent, I will cut his hand,” said Jaleel, a former Aurangabad MP. His remarks referred to comments by Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad in connection with the hijab row involving Nitish Kumar.
Nishad had earlier said, “What would have happened if he touched her somewhere else,” a statement that sparked widespread criticism. He later claimed that his words were twisted and misinterpreted.
Jaleel alleged that parties which project themselves as secular often support goons and criminal elements but hesitate to stand with Muslims or ensure their proper political representation. “These parties brand AIMIM as communal and untouchable, but in reality they themselves are the most communal and do not want Muslims to emerge as leaders,” he said.
Targeting Nitish Kumar over the hijab incident, Jaleel said such actions and comments reflected a deeper disregard for the dignity of Muslim women.
He also took a swipe at Maharashtra Social Justice Minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat, who had demanded that AIMIM’s kite election symbol be frozen because the civic polls coincide with the Makar Sankranti festival. Mocking the demand, Jaleel made a lighter remark, urging Shiv Sena and BJP leaders not to wear watches for the next month, taking a dig at the clock symbol of their Mahayuti ally, the Nationalist Congress Party.
Jaleel is campaigning for 17 AIMIM candidates contesting the upcoming civic body elections, positioning his party as a voice against what he called growing political hypocrisy and selective secularism.
