In a clear attempt to consolidate his base among Muslims, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav has expressed his “disappointment” over the court verdict on Ayodhya.
The Samajwadi Party chief’s statement comes a day after the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court pronounced its verdict on the title suits in the Ayodhya case.
Talking to reporters here on Friday, Mr Yadav said that “Muslims of this country are disappointed with the high court verdict and I am also deeply disappointed. Muslims are feeling cheated after the judgment. The country runs on rule of law not on faith and beliefs.”
Mr Yadav said that in the case of the high court verdict, faith had been allowed to take precedence over facts. “This is not a good indication for the Constitution of the country as well as the judiciary,” he pointed out.
He further said that Muslims in the country were feeling “cheated” after the verdict and added that whenever the matter went to the Supreme Court, the facts would fall in place.
While most political parties have welcomed the verdict, majority of Muslim leaders have said that they were disappointed with the verdict would appeal against the same in the top court. Mr Yadav is following the same line.
Mr Yadav’s statement strikes a discordant note since he is the first political leader to publicly criticise the verdict. The move is apparently designed to cater to Muslim sentiments. Mr Yadav is trying to regain lost ground among minority who had been considerably irked with the Samajwadi Party when Mr Yadav struck an alliance with former BJP leader Kalyan Singh.
Meanwhile, the Congress has accused Mr Mulayam Yadav of attempting to spread the venom of communalism by criticising the verdict.
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Kalyan slams Mulayam
Age Correspondent
Lucknow
Oct. 1: The politics on Ayodhya has begun in right earnest in Uttar Pradesh.
After Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav expressed his disappointment at the verdict on Friday, former BJP leader Kalyan Singh slammed the SP leader for attempting to play the communal card.
Mr Kalyan Singh told reporters that Mr Yadav now saw a gloomy future for himself.