I have heard in all his press conferences, statements to electronic media, to the police and in public meetings. I have heard it at least 100 times in the last one week. ``I will protect all Hindus, I am a Hindu leader, I am the first Hindu MLA. I am for Hindus, I am a Hindu MP!!’’

Sorry, Mr Chandrakant Khaireji, you are also my MP. You are an MP for Hindus as well as Muslims as well as Dalits and Christians and Jains and Parsis and Sikhs and Bohris and everyone who lives in this beautiful city.

Mr Khaire, it hurts me just as it hurts every other Aurangabadi when you speak that language. When you speak for Hindus only. No crime in doing so but it shows your narrow-mindedness. After all, Mr Khaire, among the crores of Indian only about 543 men and women get the opportunity to sit in Lok Sabha. You are among that privileged lot. You have been the most senior leader of our city but every time things go wrong you confine yourself to just being a leader of one caste. Not realizing that you have been the leader for every one of us. It pains us when you drag your religion, your caste in almost everything. You need not have to.

Hinduism is your religion Mr Khaire, but it’s also a way of life for the millions of people who follow and practice it. Just by repeating again and again and reminding people of your religion simply doesn’t qualify you to be a good Hindu instead you have to showcase your religion through your actions and deeds. 

What happened last week in OUR city Mr Khaire has nothing to do with either Hinduism or Islam. The communal riots had nothing to do with my religion or your religion. It was a devil’s plan to defame both these religions by some people who do not understand what their respective religion preaches and teaches. Unfortunately, the one person who also has failed to understand his religion is you Mr Khaire.

At a time when the city needed you the most you yet again played that communal card. The city wanted you to lead from the front and play a parental role in diffusing the tensions between the two communities. You should have convened a meeting of all stakeholders – Hindus and Muslims, who were not in large numbers indulging in violence and made attempts to cool their tempers down. But you never wanted that to happen.

But Mr Khaire not everything is lost, there is a silver lining too. The riot in a sense has sent a positive signal too for the city. While some people wanted the city to burn, while a few hands went up to put the small shops and vehicles in flames there were many more hands that came forward to douse them. To maintain peace and harmony. Mr Khaire, the city is not the same as it was over two decades back when you first became My MP, OUR MP. People have realized that polarization doesn’t help anyone. That communal clashes and riots serve no purpose to anyone except those who want to draw political mileage out of them. I am sure you will understand at whom I am pointing my finger Mr Khaire.

 People don’t want communal tensions, Hindus and Muslims or anyone don’t want rifts and riots anymore. They want peace. They want to live in harmony. Their demands are not too high or beyond expectations Mr Khaire and we as people’s representatives must respect that. 

And what pains the entire city is when things are settling down, you again on Saturday took out a morcha with evil designs in mind. Perhaps you want tempers to run high, you want the city to be on the boil. Perhaps you do not want peace to prevail. You named the morcha as `Hindu Shakti Morcha,’ through which you wanted to show the might and power of Hindus in the city. For what? Mr Khaire we wanted, the city wanted, the Hindus and Muslims wanted you to instead organize a peace march in the city and we all wanted you to lead that march. You again lost an opportunity to show that you are everybody’s MP.

Mr Khaire you cannot be so ungrateful to the city that gave you so much. You may not understand the plight of the family who lost their 17 years old boy in the clashes, the demise of the 70 years old man charred to death may not bring any emotions to you Mr Khaire. You may not have the slightest idea what it means for the hawkers and small shopkeepers whose everything was lost in the fire alighted by miscreants. Whoever those rioters may be Mr Khaire they should be brought to book. It’s your responsibility and my responsibility.

Mr Khaire, you and your party has virtually been ruling Aurangabad for so many years. In return what have you given back to the city? If only the activeness that we are seeing today of our MP was also to be seen when the entire city was under a heap of garbage, it still is, if only we had seen you so strongly fighting for water supply to the citizens and not fighting hard to bring a private company `Samantar’ to take control of the city’s water supply. If only you had fought for better roads, good infrastructure, health and education. These were never your priorities Mr Khaire. All that mattered to you was Aurangabad/Sambhajinagar, Hindu/Muslim, Mandir/Masjid.

Mr Khaire you went to the commissioner of police the other day and complained that my boys and I in the municipal corporation orchestrated the clashes. We were behind the riots. You used filthy and abusive language against me. You said that everything that happened that night was done by my community. The only difference between you and me is that Mr Khaire I too went to the cops and told them whosoever was involved, whoever tried to burn my city, whoever attempted to create a rift between Hindus and Muslims should be dealt with sternly. Whosever that may be.

Mr Khaire, let’s take a pledge, a vow in the name of that 17 years and the 70 years old victims who lost their lives in the clashes that night - Aurangabad will never ever witness another riot. And if anyone attempts to burn My city, sorry OUR city, we will stop them together.

Mr Khaire, I am rebuilding the shops with our own funds to see those poor Hindus and Muslims stand again to earn their livelihood. One of the shops that I am rebuilding belongs to a Hindu Swamy who used to sell ice cream. Now there is nothing left in his shop except those charred remains of that night’s violence and the fear writ large on his face. I told the Swamy, once the shops are rebuilt we will do a formal inauguration by eating ice cream at your new shop. His joy knew no bounds. His smile was priceless Mr Khaire. 
But to understand that you need a heart!!

 
Imtiaz Jaleel, a concerned citizen & also an MLA (Aurangabad Central).

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