Meraj Khalid Noor
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Meraj Khalid Noor (Hindi: मेराज खालिद नूर) is a man from Bihar, India whose claim to fame was his looks, which resembled those of international terrorist Osama Bin Laden.
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[edit] Election campaign
Meraj Khalid Noor is a young man from Narpat Ganj in Bihar. He had sought an election ticket from Ram Vilas Paswan on the ground that he looked like Osama, but Paswan turned it down. Instead, he got Noor to campaign for his Lok Jana Shakti Party in 2005 Bihar elections. With this endorsement, Paswan hoped to attract the Muslim votebank from his rival Lalu Prasad Yadav.
When Paswan was asked by a news agency if it was proper to try and attract minority voters by lionising the symbol of international terror, he replied by saying that the man who looked like Osama was the son of his close friend. [1]
Paswan further added that the Osama factor would work for him among the rural Muslims the way the Communist Party of India (Marxist) gained favour during the first Gulf War by supporting Saddam Hussein. [2]
On another occasion, Paswan explained that the action of using an Osama look alike for his election campaign is not to terrorise any section of voters, but actually to comfort the minorities that it is he, and not Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, who is the greater champion of Muslims. [3]
Noor later associated himself with Lalu Prasad Yadav and his political party Rashtriya Janata Dal. [4]
Meraj Khalid Noor himself likes to be called ‘Laden’, saying that no one will remember his real name. [1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Paswan employs Osama clone-India-The Times of India
- ^ Osama at home in Laluland-India-The Times of India
- ^ The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Opinions
- ^ Khaleej Times Online - 'Bihar Laden' getting death threats
