[Al Arabiya Latest] The chief cleric at India's largest mosque delivered a stinging attack against the country's major parties Friday, calling on India's Muslims to form their own political party less than a week before India's general elections.Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari of New Delhi's Jama mosque said Muslims in India were "victims of injustice" and have been "tortured and systematically sidelined by all political parties."
"A peaceful, secure and happy life is a distant dream for us," he said in a speech ahead of Friday prayers.
He accused the Hindu-majority that make up the bulk of India's main parties of being either overtly sectarian or otherwise trying to cynically woo the Muslim vote with "false promises."
"Look around and see the situation: some parties have an anti-Muslim agenda, some are trying to show sympathy towards us, but they will never be of any good to us," he said, adding that the Muslim community has lost all faith in the existing political parties.
Muslims vote "secular" to no avail
Bukhari called upon Muslims to group and launch their own party that will work for the community's benefit and accused current parties for using India's largest minority as just a vote bank without serving its welfare.
"Political parties use Muslims just as a vote bank. They are not really bothered about their rights or upliftment and welfare," Bukhari told Indo-Asian News Service Saturday.
"Muslims in this country have always been secular and have never voted on religious grounds. They have even voted for political parties whose leaders have been Hindus. They even supported the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 1977 and 1989 elections," he added.
"However, none of the political parties who the Muslims have voted for have done anything for their welfare. This is why I think the community should launch its own political party," he said.
India's general elections will be held over several phases between April 16 and May 13.