Howrah News Service -  Latest news and headlines on Howrah,West Bengal and World: SP, BSP battle for Muslim votes

SP, BSP battle for Muslim votes
================================================================================
ASIANAGE on 04 July, 2008 02:31:58
 
By Amita Verma
Lucknow
July 4: The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party are battling for Muslim
votes in Uttar Pradesh and the big issue, this time, is the nuclear deal.
The main concern of the Samajwadi Party, which is on the verge of supporting
the United Progressive Alliance government and the nuclear deal, is the reaction
of Muslim votes in Uttar Pradesh. Its leaders are rightly worried about the
consequences the party may have to face in Uttar Pradesh — more so, since
Muslims form the biggest support base of the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh
— than the advantages of saving the United Progressive Alliance government at
the Centre.
With Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BSP president Mayawati already having
taken a lead on the issue by terming the nuclear deal as "anti-Muslim", the
Samajwadi Party is worried that the BSP "propaganda" may cost its dear.
The BSP clearly established an edge in this battle when a group of senior
Muslim clerics met the chief minister on Wednesday and "thanked" her not
approving the nuclear deal. The clerics claimed that the nuclear deal was
anti-Muslim in spirit and would go against Indian interests too.
Rebel Samajwadi MP Munawwar Hasan made matters worse by claiming that if the
Samajwadi Party went ahead and endorsed the nuclear deal, nearly 10 party MPs
would rise in revolt.
The Samajwadi Party, now in a damage-control mode, is trying to list all that
its president Mulayam Singh Yadav has done for Muslims in the past years.
"Whether he has been in power or out of power, the welfare of minorities has
always been on the agenda of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav. He has fought against
communal forces and has launched several schemes for the education, health and
employment of Muslim minorities. The BSP cannot wash all this away with its
propaganda machine," says Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Choudhury.
The SP even called over some Muslim clerics and explained to them that the
nuclear deal was not against Muslim interests and Mr Yadav would support it only
after clearing all doubts.
Samajwadi leaders, particularly Muslims, are now trying to organise meetings
with Muslim leaders to dispel all doubts on this issue. The Samajwadis know that
if they do not act in time, the damage may be beyond repair.
The BSP, on the other hand, has already asked its Muslim MPs and MLAs to fan
out in their constituencies and "expose" the Samajwadi Party for aligning with
the Congress, which was responsible for the Babri demolition, and supporting the
nuclear deal, which is anti-Muslim. The battle is likely to hot up further with
the BJP attempting to consolidate Hindu votes in its favour on the issue of the
Amarnath Shrine Board land. "If the BJP manages to consolidate Hindu votes on
the Shrine Board issue, then the role of Muslim votes in the Hindi heartland
will become even more crucial and decisive and any party that wants to play a
role in national politics will have to ensure minority support in this region.
The Samajwadi Party cannot afford to annoy the Muslims at this point," admits a
senior Samajwadi leader but adds that political compulsions are forcing the
party leadership to join hands with the Congress.