Ban consolidates SP base in Muslims
By denying permission for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Akhilesh Yadav government in UP has ensured double benefits for the ruling Samajwadi Party as well as the right wing organisations, including BJP.
Muslims, who had turned restive after the meeting between the Samajwadi leadership and the VHP delegation led by Mr Ashok Singhal on Saturday, finally breathed a sigh of relief on Monday when the Akhilesh Yadav government finally declined to give permission for the VHP yatra.
“There should not be even an iota of doubt in Muslim minds about the Samajwadi Party’s secular credentials. Since the beginning of our political careers, we have never compromised with communal forces and we will never do it in future either. It is the media that keeps planting seeds of doubt in the Muslim minds,” said senior UP minister Shivpal Singh Yadav.
The SP is confident that denial of permission for the yatra will be seen as a snub to the VHP by Muslims and will further consolidate the party’s base among minorities.
However, UP minister Mohd Azam Khan, who is considered the Muslim face of the SP, is still not convinced and feels that the Samajwadi leadership should not have met the VHP delegation in the first place.
“Muslim sentiments are hurt if our leaders even meet those who are responsible for the demolition of the Babri mosque,” he said in a statement.
For the VHP, denial of permission seems to be a boon in disguise. VHP programmes in recent years have failed to evoke public sentiments and the people’s response to their programmes has been rather poor. The “Purna Ahuti Mahayagya” or the programme related to chanting of Hanuman Chalisa in every home has remained non-starters and the proposed yatra would have probably met a similar fate.
Post new comment