In Gehlot’s ‘secular’ Rajasthan, thousands throng at the funeral procession of an Islamic cleric

The Ashok Gehlot government of Rajasthan once again showed its ultra-secular credentials when it allowed a huge mob of thousands of Muslims to attend the funeral procession of an Islamic cleric named Haji Rafat Ahmad. According to media reports, a huge crowd gathered in Jaipur on Monday, despite the Covid lockdown.

Cases have been registered against 11 people including a Congress MLA Rafeek Khan for violation of the Epidemic Act. Thousands were seen milling in close proximity without wearing any masks and without maintaining any social distancing. Since the city is still under COVID lockdown, one would have reckoned that Rajasthan Police would stop the gathering but instead, the authorities stood idly and observed the procession like a mute spectator.

Amit Malviya, BJP’s National in-charge of Information & Technology department took to Twitter to share the video of the procession and questioned the Ashok Gehlot administration for allowing the event.

“Ashok Gehlot has failed Rajasthan. – murders in broad daylight – rape in ambulance – attack on a MP – vaccine wastage – low testing, high positivity And now thousands step out for funeral of Haji Rafat Ahmad, a cleric, in Jaipur. Lockdown? Sonia and Rahul Gandhi must explain.” tweeted Malviya.

Perhaps, it was the orders from the CM office to not wield any power on the minorities as Gehlot’s electoral politics revolve around the vote bank of Muslims. And this is not the first time that an incident as such has happened in Rajasthan right under Gehlot’s nose.

In April, a massive crowd was seen at the funeral of Muslim leader Ghazi Faqir (84). He was the father of Saleh Mohammed who is currently a cabinet minister in the Congress-led government in Rajasthan.

Despite the crowd of thousands gathering when the second wave of the pandemic was at its raging peak, the Rajasthan Police neither took any action nor asked anyone in the swelling crowd to follow the Covid rules.

Read More: In Owaisi’s Hyderabad of KCR’s Telangana, Covid rules are being flouted by the privileged minority community

The liberal cabal of the country, which did not hesitate to pin the blame of the emergence of the second wave on the Kumbh Mela festivities, even when clear evidence points otherwise, has once again managed to observe a stoic silence on the flouting of norms in Jaipur. It appears as if minorities in the country have a free pass when it comes to incidents as such. And that is secularism working at its finest.