A right royal row has erupted on Wednesday after the All India Muslim Personal Law Board spokesperson Maulana Sajjad Nomani praised the Taliban’s successful takeover of Afghanistan. Twitter users have gone after Nomani, some even saying he should go to Afghanistan, and therefore the hashtag #Go to Afghanistan. The sudden fury for people even hinting at supporting the Taliban is being called out, as is the practice in Twitter outrage trends.

A senior journalist had been at the receiving end for the last few days for the same thing when she had objected to the use of the word “terrorists” and wanted them to be called “insurgents”.

But let’s stick to Nomani and a senior MP being name called and even booked for sedition, another stellar use of the infamous Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code.

On Wednesday, Nomani justified the Taliban’s occupation of Afghanistan saying it has defeated the United States Army, the world’s strongest forces. Thanking God for Taliban’s victory over Afghanistan, he said that Muslims of India salute the Taliban for its victory.

Earlier in the day, Samajwadi Party’s Sambhal MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq said the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was on par with India’s own freedom struggle. While the allegory may be questionable, we should add that the Indian freedom struggle was centered on a more powerful weapon such as non-violence than a bazooka or AK-47s or AR-15s.

The Sambhal MP got widespread criticism for his praise of the Taliban, including from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Hours after his statement, Barq featured in another video and denied any statement supporting the Taliban. He said the video making viral rounds had been twisted and made to sound like he had done so when it was not the case. They should investigate the episode, he said. “What do I have to do with the Taliban?”

The Sambhal MP had been in the headlines for his controversial remarks denying the existence of the Covid-19. Now, he has been booked under section 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between groups) and 295A (hurting religious sentiments).

Sambhal BJP leader Rajesh Singhal has lodged the complaint against Shafiqur Rahman Barq for the statement in support of Taliban. He also lodged a complaint against District General Secretary of Samajwadi Yuvjan Mahasabha Chaudhary Faizan Shahi, who congratulated Mulla Ghani Baradar, the Taliban nominee for President replacing Ashraf Ghani, who has since fled Kabul, via a Facebook post for taking over Afghanistan.  

Barq and Shahi’s remarks drew a sharp reaction from Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who compared it to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s comment after Kabul fell to the Taliban. He said if such a statement has come from the Samajwadi Party, then what is the difference between Imran Khan and the leaders of the SP?

As is evident, the polls for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly are due to be held next year and the jockeying for Indian and Hindu interests in the wake of “fundamentalist Muslims supporting Taliban” is a tried and tested method for the BJP for consolidation when facing the apparently strong anti-incumbency vote.

In other India News, Salima Mazari, one of the first women governors in Afghanistan, has reportedly been captured by the terror outfit, a group of the Hazara community informed by tweeting. 

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