Badruddin Ajmal
Maulana Badruddin Ajmal[1] (born 12 February 1950) is a member of the Indian Parliament[2] from Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency, born in the Indian state of Assam. He is an industrialist, activist, educationist and philanthropist. He is popularly known as perfume baron.[3]
He established the Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF), now the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF)[4] and consolidated its position in Indian politics especially in Assam. He is also the president of the Assam State Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind[5][clarification needed] and a member of the advisory board of Darul Uloom Deoband.
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Social Activities
A Fazil-e-Deoband (Equivalent to Masters Degree in Islamic Theology and Arabic) from Darul Uloom Deoband, Moulana Badruddin Ajmal is an industrialist, a businessman as well as an eminent social worker.[5] His especial interest is to serve the needy.
He is also the founding President of famous NGO Markazul Ma'arif which runs schools, orphanages, hospitals besides many other social, educational and economic developmental activities in the country. The organization has done enormous work for the benefit of the people since its inception in 1982 especially in Assam and other northeast states in the fields of illiteracy, poverty and basic immunization.
He is the Managing Trustee of Haji Abdul Majid Memorial (HAMM) Public Trust, Hojai. This trust is best known for the state-of-the-art charitable hospital, Haji Abdul Majid Memorial Hospital and Research Center[6] at Hojai, Assam.
He is a member of Advisory Board (Shura) of Darul Uloom Deoband, Uttar Pradesh and Central Working Committee, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind. He is also the President of Assam State Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind and Tanzim Madaris-e Quamia — All Assam Non-government Madrasa Board that prepares the curriculum and conducts examinations throughout the state for more than 600 madrasas. Furhermore, he is also related to a dozen other madrasas, schools, and orphanages either as Chairman or Secretary in various parts of northeast India.
He is the Chairman of Markazul Ma’arif Education and Research Centre (MMERC), Mumbai — a unique institution that caters to the modern needs of the madrasa graduates by teaching them English language and promotes research works on socio-religious and economic fields.
In 2006 the Ajmal family came out with another noble idea and facilitated higher education for women in Assam through the Maryam Ajmal Women’s College of Science & Technology at Hojai. He is also an aerospace engineer.
Political Activities
Maulana Ajmal established and became the founding president of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) - a political party formed by different suppressed sections of society and under-privileged religious and linguistic minority groups in Assam to protect their legitimate democratic rights and to empower these segments - on 2 October 2005 in Assam. Later he relaunched the party in other states of India through a press meet in New Delhi on 2nd Feb 2009.
In 2006 election for Assam Legislative Assembly, he was elected simultaneously from two constituencies — South Salmara and Jamunamukh — with huge margin of votes and was also elected as the leader of the AUDF Legislative Party which altogether won 10 seats in its maiden electoral fight.[7]
In the last general election May 2009, although his party managed to win only one seat, that is, Ajmal himself won from Dhubri Lok Sabha seat with a huge margin defeating his nearest Congress rival and sitting member Anowar Hussain, but the AIUDF's vote share is improved and secured the highest number of votes in 25 Assembly segments in Assam.
In 2011 election for Assam Legislative Assembly,[8] AIUDF had won 18 seats and emerged as the largest opposition party in Assam.
Report of nexus between Mumbai Violence of August 2012 and AIUDF has been rubbished by Badruddin Ajmal. The violence occurred when Muslims of Mumbai were protesting the Bodo-Muslim riots in Assam. The report alleged that Ajmal himself had ordered his party workers to attack media and police. The Maharashtra wing of AIUDF represents the sentiments of Muslim Minorities in Maharashtra and also denies its involvement in the violence.
After tasting success in Assam, he wants to spread the wings of party on all India level. The Maharashtra pradesh wing of AIUDF is already functioning under the dynamic leadership of Shri Tarun Rathi.
Literary Activities
Maulana Ajmal was the president of Hojai session reception committee of Assam Sahitya Sabha, 2004 and Darul Hadith, Jayanagar Madrassa, Assam.[5]
Criticism
Indigenous Assamese Muslim groups blamed [9] him for inflammatory comments in the wake of Assam violence in 2012
References
- ^ http://www.aiudf.org/our_president.php AIUDF President
- ^ 15th Lok sabha members, Assam, India
- ^ Perfume baron hopes to be Muslim messiah, Hindustan Times, Feb 04, 2009, New Delhi
- ^ http://www.aiudf.org AIUDF Official Website
- ^ a b c Bioprofile of 15th Lok Sabha members, India
- ^ Ajmal Foundation
- ^ AUDF may join UPA, The Hindu
- ^ http://eciresults.ap.nic.in/PartyWiseResult.htm
- ^ Assam Muslims blame AIUDF chief for violence in state