A car belonging to a marriage party crosses the curfew-hit Park Circus area on Wednesday night. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Calcutta, Nov. 22: Rivalry among Opposition minority politicians over gaining mileage out of the community’s anti-Taslima Nasreen sentiments was one of the main reasons for yesterday’s violence in the city.

Idris Ali, who heads the All India Minority Forum and was one of the organisers of the protest, today admitted to a clash with Siddiqullah Chowdhury, the Jamait Ulema-i-Hind leader who earned political space in Nandigram.

“He is jealous because he could not nudge the CPM and the government over Taslima in the last three years, which we did yesterday,” Ali said.

The comment was in response to Chowdhury’s criticism of the agitation as “an act of irresponsible and baseless leaders in a bid to become the community’s representatives”.

Ali was addressing a news conference with the imam of Tipu Sultan mosque, Nurur Rahman Barkati, and Toha Siddiqui, who heads the Furfura Sarif Muzadeedia Anath Foundation.

He said his forum would not hit the streets tomorrow, but “we would not oppose if others come out”.

Barkati said his concern was Taslima’s ouster alone while for Siddiqui, Nandigram mattered more.

“I have told both Chowdhury and Ali not to club politics on Nandigram with our agitation for Taslima’s expulsion. I condemn yesterday’s violence and stand for communal amity. But we will not rest till our demand is met since her presence is an attack on our religious identity” the imam said.

CPM MP Mohammad Salim said he was worried about “moderate-turned-hardliners among minority leaders”.

“With the creation of Muslim space in the national and global polity and hardliners dominating the scenario, former moderate voices are trying to match the extremist voices while contesting for community space. The change of Idris Ali denotes the process,” Salim said.

Ali — among those who had called the chakka jam yesterday — denied responsibility for the violence. However, he said the incidents had forced CPM state secretary Biman Bose to agree to their demand.

“We are happy that the explosion of the community’s pent-up anger yesterday has compelled Biman Bose to ask Taslima to leave. The mainstream media, which had not taken notice of the Muslim resentment over Taslima’s stay in the city earlier, was forced to report it,” Ali said.

Chowdhury, the Jamait Ulema-i-Hind leader, described Bose’s statement today as “an effort to please all sides”. Bose, who had asked Taslima to leave yesterday, retracted his statement today.

Chowdhury said “many CPM supporters, too, had joined the rampage yesterday as it was a community affair”.

Jamat-e-Islami Hind leader Abdul Aziz echoed him. “Supporters of Trinamul, the Congress as well as the CPM joined the agitation since anger over Taslima was widespread,” he said.

Aziz claimed to have informed senior police officers about the plan for yesterday’s violence on Tuesday night. “But nobody took notice of it.”