Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav’s latest moves to woo Muslims are just a "blatant election stunt" and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is not in the least impressed, says IUML leader and Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed.
Training his guns at Yadav, the minister remarked: "Whatever Mulayam is doing now are just blatant election stunts. Now that he knows elections are round the corner, he is trying to fool Muslims by offering them different kinds of cheap sops."
Ahamed, who was here on an official visit, told IANS that he regarded Congress president and United Progressive Alliance chief Sonia Gandhi as the "best bet for Muslims" in the country.
"Sonia Gandhi is sincere towards the cause of Muslims and this was clearly reflected in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent announcement of a 15-point programme for the economic and social uplift of the minority community.
"If Mulayam is truly sincere towards the cause of Muslims, why doesn’t he declare reservations for Muslims in government jobs?" he queried.
Charging Yadav, the Samajwadi Party chief, with "remembering Muslims only at election time", Ahamed said: "Let him disclose how many Muslims he has recruited in different government jobs, including the police.
"According to my information, most of the government jobs in the state are doled out only to Yadavs (the community to which the chief minister belongs)."
He also wanted to know how many Muslims were fielded by the Samajwadi Party in the past?
Referring to state Urban Development Minister Azam Khan’s call for carving a "Muslim Pradesh" out of Uttar Pradesh, Ahmed pointed out: "Such slogans are absolutely meaningless and simply reflect the desperation of the Samajwadi Party.
"Azam Khan’s call would only arouse communal passions, which is against the very social ethos of this country."
The Muslim League leader from Kerala claimed that his party strongly believed in upholding secular ideals and was vehemently opposed to any communal move.
"We are there to uphold the cause of Muslims and to ensure overall betterment of Muslims. But that does not mean that we are communal," he asserted.
He claimed the IUML had expanded its base in several parts of Uttar Pradesh and was poised to "spring surprises" in the next elections.
"We do not go about bragging like other parties. You will see the result of our silent labour in organising Uttar Pradesh Muslims at the next elections.
"The Congress is the only truly secular political party at the national level on which Muslims can rely," he stated.
Asked to comment on the recent formation of two Muslim political outfits by rival Islamic clerics in Uttar Pradesh, he remarked: "Well, I do not see these moves as any better than what some petty politicians are doing - baiting Muslims on the eve of assembly elections... such seasonal parties will die a natural death after the polls."
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