'ISF doing politics in name of religion'

Kolkata: Claiming that Abbas Siddiqui's Indian Secular Front (ISF) was doing politics in the name of religion, Idris Ali, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Chairman of All India Minority Forum, on Thursday came down heavily on the Furfura Sharif cleric for misleading Muslims ahead of Bengal Assembly polls.

"People do not like Abbas. Just giving a name tag 'Secular' does not mean the party is secular. He is doing politics in the name of religion," said Ali, who claimed that IFS had earlier approached TMC for alliance but the latter refused. Then, ISF had approached Left Front. On Tuesday, Congress and the Left Front agreed to give 37 seats to ISF. Before the launch of ISF, Asaduddin Owaisi supremo All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) had met Abbas in Furfura Sharif. Referring to the ISF that will not oppose the AIMIM in the upcoming polls, Ali said: "ISF and AIMIM have no place in Bengal. People of Bengal do not support these divisive politics."