Qazi Shamsuddin Ahmed, convener of the newly-formed committee said the committee had been asked to elect the new office-bearers in one-month’s time. The ad hoc committee has seven members including post-holders of the undivided Jamiat.
Ever since Maulana Arshad, the then national president of the organisation and Maulana Mahmood Madani, the erstwhile national general secretary — parted ways early last month — the fate of Jamiat’s leadership has remained uncertain.
While the Maulana Mehmood-led group represented by Chowdhury claims to be the original faction, the Maulana Arshad faction has already started forming ad hoc committees in states where Jamiat committees already exist. Sources within the organisation told The Indian Express that beside West Bengal, ad hoc committees have been formed in Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
Meanwhile, Chowdhury has alleged that the rift within Jamiat has been orchestrated by the Congress and the CPM.
“These two parties are trying to harm Jamiat,” Chowdhury said on Tuesday. He added: “Attempts at splitting Jamiat have failed in the past. With Jamiat’s political outfit heading for the state panchayat polls, certain forces are trying to weaken the anti-CPM coalition in the state.”
Jamiat sources in New Delhi said that most members were now waiting for a final decision of the existing 3,000-member general council, slated to meet on April 5. However, it is not clear if Maulana Arshad’s faction will participate in the meeting.