Mulayam goes all out to woo UP Muslims

Wary of “discontent” among the Muslim community in the wake of communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar district and other places in Uttar Pradesh since the Samajwadi Party (SP) assumed office, party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav has gone all out to woo muslims, whose support is crucial for the SP’s electoral success.

Mulayam’s wariness was visible during his address at the party’s rally in Budaon, which has a sizable Muslim population, on Friday. The SP supremo emphasised at the rally that only his party had the “capability” to counter the “threat” posed by the BJP prime ministerial nominee and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Mulayam left no stone unturned to portray Modi as an “anti-Muslim” and reminded the community about the Gujarat communal riots to drive home the message that Modi needed to be stopped and only the SP could do it.

The SP chief listed the work done by his party's government for the welfare of the Muslim community in the state.

The state government had posted Muslim constables at all the police stations in Muzaffarnagar.

He even went on to declare that henceforth the SP would not hold any programme on Friday as the Muslims find it difficult to attend the functions on the day since they have to offer special prayers on Friday.

Angry over what they alleged the failure of the state government to ensure safety of the minority community members, dozens of Muslim leaders of the party had offered to resign. Even the Muzaffarnagar district SP president Pramod Tyagi faced heat from the local Muslim leaders who charged him with patronising Bhartiya Kisan Union leaders during the riots. Muslim leaders had alleged that an aide of the SP leader Mukesh Chaudhary was behind the attack on the minorities at Kutba-Kutbi village in the district in which four persons were killed.

SP sources here said that as many 48 Muslim leaders of the party from Muzaffarnagar had sent in their papers in protest against the government’s failure to contain the violence. “There is no point in remaining in the SP when the government can not safeguard the lives of our community members”, said a local Muslim leader.

Over a dozen communal riots had taken place in the state after the SP assumed office following its victory at 2012 Assembly polls.