After dalits, the Congress in Uttar Pradesh is trying to build bridges with Muslims in the state.
After dalits, the Congress in Uttar Pradesh is trying to build bridges with Muslims in the state. The party feels that after the Bihar elections and the growing intolerance in the country, Muslims have realised that it is the Congress alone that can give them a secure future. A veteran party leader said, “There has been a perceptible change in the Muslim mood in recent months. In Uttar Pradesh, Muslims are completely disillusioned with the ruling Samajwadi Party. They have suffered the maximum in the Muzaffarnagar riots and the communal clashes thereafter. The trust deficit with the Bahujan Samaj Party has gone down. In this scenario, the Congress will make a renewed bid to win over Muslims.” A section of the Muslim leaders in the Congress also feels that the Babri mosque issue is no longer as potent.
“There is a whole new generation of Muslim youth that was born after the 1992 demolition. They are keen to put the past behind them and want development, security and a future for themselves. We are now trying to tap this segment and bring them into the party fold,” UPCC minority cell chairman Haji Siraj Mehndi said, adding, “We are holding regular interactions with members of the community at every level. We will soon start organising conferences and seminars in every division to allow a free interaction of our leaders with Muslims, who are now ready to initiate a dialogue with the party.”
Mr Mehndi said that Muslims had voted for the BSP and the SP and both the government had failed miserably in ensuring their development and welfare.
“The SP claims to be a saviour of Muslims but its leaders are hobnobbing with the BJP. The BSP has already formed three successive governments with the BJP. It is the Congress alone that has always maintained a definite distance from the communal forces,” he said.
Mr Mehndi further said that the growing level of intolerance and the venom being spewed by BJP leaders is a threat to the secular fabric of the nation and Muslims are now realising the need for the Congress to return to power. The state Congress will soon be inviting senior Muslim leaders in the party like Ms Mohsina Kidwai, Mr Salman Khurshid, Mr Naseeb Pathan, Dr Ammar Rizvi, Mr Nadeem Javed, Mr Zafar Ali Naqvi , Mr Fazle Masood and Mr Imran Masood to be a part of the campaign and these leaders will address conferences across the state.
