UP: This Outfit’s Spokesperson Couldn’t Contain His Excitement On Taliban’s Takeover Of Kabul; Their Name? Peace Party

On Sunday, 15 August, Peace Party chief spokesperson Shadab Chauhan congratulated the Taliban for entering Kabul ‘peacefully’. “On the auspicious occasion our #IndependenceDay we got information that #Talibans entered in #Kabul peacefully. We congratulate them and hope they will run govt as per Ahkam e Ilahi Nizam e Mustafa, where any discrimination didn't have place. We believe in peace & justice”, tweeted Shadab. He later deleted the tweet, alleging misinterpretation.

The Peace Party And Its Electoral Performance

The Peace Party was established in 2008 in Uttar Pradesh by Dr Mohamed Ayub, a doctor and former customs official. The party claims to champion the cause of Muslim and Dalit rights. The party website describes Dr Ayub as the "Mujahid of peace and harmony" and asserts that its political ideology has no place for separatism, casteism, fanaticism and communalism.

After its establishment on 10 February 2008, within a year's journey, the Peace Party fielded its candidates on 22 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, securing more than 1 per cent of the total votes cast. In the 2012 UP Assembly polls, the Peace Party fought in 208 constituencies, secured four seats with a 2.4 per cent vote share, making it the sixth-largest political party in UP.

This success was short-lived though. It contested 42 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, but failed to secure a single seat. The party performed miserably in the 2017 UP Assembly polls and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and wasn't able to even open its account.

After Uttar Pradesh, the Peace Party, by participating in the elections of the legislative assembly of Jharkhand, the municipal body of Maharashtra and the Delhi Municipal Corporation, has registered its presence in these provinces.

Peace Party And Its History Of Controversies

While Shadab Chauhan congratulating the Taliban might have dazed many, his party, since its inception in 2008, has taken many such controversial stances on key issues.

Peace Party president Dr Mohamed Ayub has numerous criminal cases registered against him. He faces allegations of disrupting communal harmony, and also charges of disobedience, property fraud, criminal breach of trust, armed rioting, and attacks on public servants, etc. In 2017, Dr Ayub was also booked by Lucknow police in connection with the rape of a 22-year-old girl.

Recently, Peace Party leader Sanjay Gurjar, declared that if elected to power, Peace Party will divide Uttar Pradesh into four small states, and exclusively declared a separate "Gaurav Pradesh", comprising six mandals and 26 districts of western UP.

In January 2020, the Peace Party, after its review petition was dismissed, filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court against the Ram Janmabhoomi verdict. The petitioner claimed that the judgement of the Supreme Court relied upon patent errors and created rights based on illegal acts, and was driven by faith.

The Peace Party, in December 2019, also filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019, by asserting that it violates Article 14 of the Constitution. The party organised many anti-CAA protests which led to communal violence in Uttar Pradesh. Many leaders of the party were booked under the National Security Act (NSA) for charges of sedition and inciting communal riots.

A Troublesome Reality

Since the moment the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, not one but many alleged student activists, political analysts, religious leaders, and politicians issued statements in support of the Taliban movement and even celebrated the establishment of the 'Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan'.

Such provocative and radical statements warrant strict punishment to prevent the worst. While the Indian mainland has no immediate and direct threat from Taliban as yet, the evident Talibani mindset can wreak havoc if not nipped in the bud.