Opposition using Ramzan as alibi to justify \'imminent defeat\': UP deputy CM

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma on Tuesday accused the Opposition parties of using the Ramzan as an alibi to justify their imminent defeat in the Lok Sabha polls. "Most of the Hindus observe fast on Tuesdays, while the Muslims hold special 'jumma' (prayer) on Friday. Does that mean there should be no voting on Tuesdays and Fridays? Sharma asked. "Elections are also a type of 'ibadat' (worship). It is a type of puja. And it is the 'ibaadat' and 'aradhana' (worship) of the 'rashtra' (nation). If the elections are held in the period of Ramzan, then people will go out to vote with a pure mind and heart," the Bharatiya Janata Party leader (BJP) told PTI.

Sharma's statement comes in the backdrop of the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party claiming that holding elections during Ramzan would inconvenience Muslims and help the BJP as the community is largely seen to be backing the Opposition parties against the ruling alliance. "This is a political stunt of some people who have started searching grounds and possible reasons for their imminent defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. Now they cannot blame the EVMs for the defeats, so they are resorting to this (logic)," Sharma said. The deputy chief minister pointed out to the Lok Sabha bypoll in Kairana last year that was held during Ramzan. He suggested that the elections should during Navaratri and Ramzan so that more people could vote with a "righteous" mind. "I would rather say that the elections should be held during the auspicious occasion of Navaratra and the holy month of Ramzan. A person who observes fast rises above narrow lines of 'apna' (self) and 'paraayaa' (others)," Sharma claimed.