Doubt if Lawrence-Salman Enmity Led to Baba's Murder: Zeeshan Siddique Interview

"My friend Danial's phone rang and he said: "Baba Bhai pe firing hui hai" (Baba Siddique has been shot at). For five seconds, I just didn't resonate with me. And then I ran barefoot towards my office and my guards and my people put me in the car," said Zeeshan Siddique, as he looked at the CCTV screen right across his desk in his cabin, recalling the day his father and former cabinet minister Baba Siddique was shot dead right outside his office on a busy street in Mumbai's Bandra.

An MLA from Bandra East, Zeeshan is campaigning for a second consecutive stint againt Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Varun Sardesai after his surprise victory in 2019, but this election is different. It comes just weeks after Baba Siddiuqe was assassinated.

While the police has revealed an eleborate plot by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, Zeeshan has questions that are not just limited to his father's killing but also extend to the intelligence failure, and breakdown of law and order in Mumbai.

"The policing system of the state and the intelligence, regardless of who's done this, has to be blamed. And these narratives which are being spread (about Lawrence Bishnoi), I don't know if it's true," Siddique said.

Why then, has he joined the Nationalist Congress Party led by Ajit Pawar, an alliance partner in the Maharashtra government? Watch this episode of 'Badi Badi Baatein' to know.'

Your father's death was quite a shock for you and the family as well. Yeah. How have you coped with it so far?

See, I don't think I would say that I've coped with it. I've just tried to get busy with other things, but every five minutes, it still hits me. I mean, it's very natural, I think. And, in the middle of the padyatras, in the middle of the speeches, in the middle of me sitting in the office... because it happened right outside my office... It took me a while to come to the office. I think yesterday was the first day I came to the office after the tragic incident. 

But he wouldn't want me to spend time, especially this crucial time, just sitting and procrastinating. 

And he would probably want me to fight and continue his fight. And that's what I'm doing. And I know that he was he was very involved in this election and he wanted us to win.

I have to ask this because we both are Mumbaikars, and it was quite shocking for everybody. Even nationally, something like this to happen in Bandra... The explanation that's being provided is that a particular gangster Mr Lawrence Bishnoi has executed this, it was planned, the police have come out with details. If this is to be believed, how does it reflect on the policing system of the state? 

The policing system of the state and the intelligence and all the agencies policing system, regardless of who's done this has to be blamed. But there's no two doubts about that and especially if they've come since a month and a half - that's what I've been told as well - they've done recce, and that's a very big failure of intelligence, law and order, everything. And I wouldn't shy away from that.

And hese narratives which are being spread, I don't know if it's true. I'm not investigating. I'm just a son who is very helpless right now. Because if you have questions, imagine the questions I have. I don't have a lot of answers to the question. And I've not been given a lot of answers to that. Right now I'm trusting Mumbai police. I'm trying to trust the system, but I haven't got a lot of answers. And it's very unfortunate that something like this has happened.

The narrative which you're talking about was set before dad even reached the hospital. So, if they were so prepared with the narrative, then why were they not prepared for an attack like this? If they were so well prepped and the Intel was so good that they knew it within 7-8 minutes of the attack, why did they not prevent the attack from happening? 

So those are the questions which I need answers for. And, I'm waiting for the answers. 

Do you believe in the given explanation?

No. This explanation doesn't fit in my logic. Who did it, I have no idea. But the logic that's being portrayed is something I don't understand.

If you look at it from a layman's perspective, a man sitting in a Gujarat jail has conducted two attacks within six months in Mumbai. He first executed an attack on Salman Khan's house and then on your father. So, the common man asks - are we safe in a city like Mumbai anymore?  

I completely agree and I always thought that Mumbai was a safe city until tragedy hit home. And it's hit and how? I mean, I will never be able to overcome this loss in my life. My family will never be the same again. 

The way you ask here, are we safe? And, I guess not!

Do you think there was an insider person involved?

I don't know. I asked the Mumbai police, so I told them that everyone should be interrogated. And everyone, regardless of how many years he's been with us, everyone should be interrogated. 

But I don't know. It's been 25 days now. And all I have heard is 'this person has been caught, that person has been caught'. But if you tell me that the main people are not being found, then what are you doing? 

The fact that it happened outside my office is something which is not settling with me, it's not a spot where you regularly find him.

I remember my friend Danial was with me, and we were at this restaurant, which is about a minute away. And, I said, "I want idli what do you want?" And Danial's phone rang and he said, "baba bhai pe firing hui" (Baba Siddique has been shot at). For five seconds, it didn't resonate with me. And then I ran barefoot towards my office and my guards and my people put me a car. They said we don't know where the shooters are. And I said, "No, it's not possible, will he survive?" I started crying and asking random people that. Who had they come for? I've been told they had come for both of us. Both our pictures were found on their phone. 

But I know for the fact that we both were fighting for the people's rights and for their homes, and maybe, somebody did not like that. And, they thought that they have to clear the hurdle.

You have family relations with Salman Khan. Does he also believe these explanations or does he have his doubts as well?

See, bhai (Salman Khan) always says that we need to trust the police and the investigations. Even before and beyond this incident, he has always been there for us. He always checks on me, and I'm grateful to him. And, even Salim uncle, for that matter, his whole family, my family, they've always been there.

Do you believe there are more people involved than Bishnoi? 

It just doesn't connect. It doesn't add up. Why would he do that? If he's done that, then maybe someone has asked him to do it. But maybe, things have happened in a certain way to distract the people. And if the police is getting distracted, then what will you and I do? 

Do you think  the media was irresponsible in reporting? 

I wouldn't say all the media personnel, but there are some people who have been a bit insensitive, to say the least. This happened at 9:3-9:35 pm and a few people messaged me at 9:45-9:50 pm: “Is your father shot dead?” It was one senior journalist. I have those messages. How do you have that thing to message someone that? At the timeI had not even called my mom and sister or someone. I didn't know what was happening... I was hoping that it's a rumor when somebody said that.

And when I got these messages... the exact message was: "Is your father Baba Siddiqui shot dead?"

I don't know, maybe I'm a different person and people are very professional when it comes to work, but how do you expect a son to reply to that when I'm seeing my father full of blood at the hospital? Those visuals will never leave me for the rest of my life.

You said that you know, the projects that you oppose or the rehabilitation that you fight for, that might be one of the reasons? It is usually also seen as anti-development. What do you have to say on that? 

See, there are some people who call it anti-Development, and those people are the ones who probably have their vested interests in them. See, there are lots of people living in high-rises who say 'why do these people live in the slums?' Do you think anybody in the right frame of mind would want to stay in the slum? Nobody wants to live in a slum, they also have their rights. You and I, we both are born in a better environment, we are blessed to be born in a good family, or we work our way towards it. But there are some people living in the slums. They don't deserve a life like that. 

They don't get water, dirty water comes into their houses and they don't deserve that. And you have to have empathy for that. And when somebody promises them, that we are going to give you a new house, we are going to give you a house there and then and then breaks the promises, how do I let that happen? 

So, when I became an MLA of Bandra East, I was very shocked when the people used to call it the poorer cousin of Bandra West. This is like dirty slang, which I don't agree with. Oh, and I don't want to agree with it because we're trying to develop it a lot. 

And then I see that the entire area is slums. It's all under wraps. And people have been promised better houses since 20 years and they have not got a house.

Speaking of politics, Maharashtra has ranked the highest in terms of communal riots, hate speeches for past couple of years. Two of the parties that your party is in alliance with, a lot of their leaders are seen to be in some way involved whenever an incident happens or they are pointed fingers at. 

So, it came out a little bit of a surprise when you joined the NCP of Mr Ajit Pawar. Why the decision?

See, you couldn't say anything or neither can anybody say anything against the NCP. Ajit dada himself has always been a secular person. He has never spoken ill about any religion or has incited any communal riots. When it comes to the second alliance which I was a part of earlier, I was in the Congress party. Even the Congress party has allied with Shiv Sena (UBT) which has been known for its communal statements. Then comes a time where they overnigh try to become secular. And, even now some of their leaders give hate speeches and the next morning they try to be secular. 

And I was suffering a lot from them. The first two and a half years I was in Maha Vikas Aghadi, I could not do any work in my constituency because the government did not give me funds to do that. The government would disperse funds to all the MLA's of the Maha Vikas Aghadi andI used to be left out. Why? Because I had beaten the Shiv Sena candidate in my constituency and they tortured me to a level where I couldn't work. 

They used to be openings 100m away from my office and they would not invite me. In fact doe normal work if I asked the departments - why is water not coming, etc, I not gewouldt answers because they were told not to answer the MLA. The police was against me, everyone was against me. I was still fighting my battles. They told me “Sorry, the CM is eyeing your seat, the CM wants your seat. What will I do? What am I supposed to reply to that? And even that time Ajit dada stood up for me. He was the finance minister. But Guardian Minister was Aditya, CM was Uddhav Thackeray, I was getting no help.

Did you raise this issue to the senior congress leaders?

Of course! I raised it every day and I used to raise it in the media. Delhi people used to call me and be like 'you have to shut up now, delete the tweets otherwise the alliance will get into a problem...!' In the last two and a half years, they would tell me that you will not get a ticket from Bandra East. You will have to fight from Versova, we will make sure you are an MLA, fight from Versova. I said I have given my time, energy, efforts all of that to my people, my love, to Bandra East. I will fight from Bandra East.

Today, they have proved me right by giving the Congress seat to Shiv Sena UBT. I hadn't made any decision till the research committee announced the candidates.

Even in these tough times, they (Congreess leaders) came to my house. They said 'we will make sure you are unopposed.' They kept me in the dark and played games with me even at a time like this. 

Shiv Sena wronged me more than the Congress but the Congress's fault is that they did not support me.

In the past five yeats, we've seen a lot of instability politically. Too much has happened, right? How do you look at it?

Let's see, it's confusing for all of us being first time legislators. I feel like I remember telling my dad about this. I was like, dad, I feel like in one term, I have done four-five terms, I've seen everything.' The moment I became an MLA in 2019, I had beaten the Shiv Sena, so we were at loggerheads with Shiv Sena with values, with workers, everything. Suddenly, we all get taken away to Rajasthan, Jaipur and we are locked up in a hotel. And then the leaders ask us, do you want the alliance with Shiv Sena? I was like, no! No chance! I don't want them, I've just beaten them. 

Varsha Tai (Gaikwad) and I, we disagreed very strongly. She and I were the ones who kept saying that no, we don't want Maha viskas Aghadi. What would happen is that the alliance leaders will speak in the Assembly, then the party will speak. But then there were six-seven parties. So, we used to not get a chance to speak at all. 

Now, it looks like the alliances just get made with numbers and anyone can go with anyone. The ideology takes a backseat. So, what you have to do is you have to stick to the party you believe in, and the people should believe in the candidate they are voting for because at the end of it, the candidate is going to be there for you. But, it is what it is.