Former JD(U) leader Irfanullah Khan and heritage activist Firoz Ahmed Bakht were among a group of eminent persons from the Muslim community who joined Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday.
Welcoming the leaders, Kejriwal said, "Muslims have been treated as bonded and used as vote bank by Congress. They should ask Congress what they have given to them in the past 55 years of its rule since Independence."
"Except for reports, one by Professor Gopal Singh report in 1981 and Justice Sachar Committee report in 2007, they have given nothing to Muslims," Kejriwal said.
Holding Congress responsible for the backwardness of the Muslim community, he said despite trusting Congress for so long, Muslims are living in fear."
"They are jailed on terror charges, but when they are freed by the courts after being innocent then no one comes to give them job so that they could begin their lives," he said.
Kejriwal alleged that both BJP and Congress were treating Hindus and Muslims as their vote bank. He said in case of a hung assembly after polls in Delhi, AAP will not form an alliance with any party.
Earlier, addressing the function AAP leader Yogendra Yadav said there is a need to end the divisive politics.
Khan, an alumni of Aligarh Muslim University, is a social worker from Zakir Nagar and is likely to be declared as AAP candidate from Okhla constituency while Bakht is a teacher and also works for heritage awareness.
Besides Khan and Bakht, Shakeel Malik, member of All India Minority Committee of Janata Dal United, a number of other alumni from AMU and Jamia Millia Islamia joined the AAP.
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