Rampur, September 23, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Religious scholar Maulana Mohammad Jameel Hayat has criticised recent remarks by All India Muslim Jamaat president Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi on Muslim political representation in Uttar Pradesh, saying such statements could promote sectarianism and communal tension.
Razvi has questioned Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav over Muslim representation and demanded that the party declare a Muslim face for Chief Minister for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. He has also questioned why Yadav is projected as the party’s leadership face when, according to Razvi, the Muslim population in the state is higher than that of the Yadav community.
Reacting to the remarks, Hayat said he did not agree with Razvi’s position and stressed that people from majority and minority communities should work together while ensuring everyone’s rights.
“I do not agree with his statement. This is our country. Whoever belongs here and has a right to it should get their rights. Muslims living here should have peace and security, and they should get all the rights they are entitled to,” Hayat said.
He said the political party in power was secondary, but religious figures should avoid statements that could create unrest or deepen divisions.
On Razvi’s demand for a Muslim Chief Ministerial candidate, Hayat said such a demand was not practical and would not serve the country’s interests.
He also said Hindu legislators and MPs had worked for public welfare and rejected the suggestion that Hindu leaders did not listen to Muslims. “They listen to all our complaints and love us immensely,” he said.
Hayat described Razvi’s remarks as inappropriate and called for political and social discourse to be conducted in a spirit of harmony.
The exchange comes amid an intensifying debate over Muslim representation ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Razvi has also demanded greater Muslim representation in the SP’s candidate selection and has sought clarity from Akhilesh Yadav on whether the party would declare a Muslim Chief Ministerial face.
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