The tepid response of the Muslim community to the Ayodhya verdict has started giving anxious moments to the Congress and the Samajwadi Party in the state.
Both the parties were eager to cash in on Muslim sentiments on the issue and consolidate minority votes in their favor before the next Assembly elections.
While the Congress was keen to win over Muslim voters without disturbing the Hindu votes and therefore opted for a neutral stand on the Ayodhya verdict. The party was anticipating a more aggressive reaction from the Muslims so that it could display its pro-minority posture.
“We expected a stronger reaction from Muslims but their silence is rather intriguing. A section of the Muslim leadership wants to challenge the verdict in apex court while another section is promoting the idea of an out-of-court settlement. Obviously, we do not know how to react on the issue until the Muslim mindset becomes absolutely clear,” said a senior UP Congress leader.
The Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, made an overt attempt to woo the Muslims when party president Mulayam Singh Yadav publicly announced that the Ayodhya verdict was based more on faith than on facts and went on to claim that Muslims were “deeply disappointed.” Mr Yadav, surprisingly, faced considerable flak from a section of the Muslim clergy that criticised him for attempting to politicise the Ayodhya issue.
“We are certainly not politicising the issue and whatever Mr Yadav said reflected the prevailing Muslim mood. We have always bee a pro-minority party and it was the Mulayam Singh government that prevented damage to the Babri mosque in 1990. We do not have to prove our credentials over and over again,” said a party functionary. Both the Congress and the SP are now worried about the fallout of the court verdict since the Muslim mood remains undecided and the two parties cannot take a stand in such a situation. Congress and SP leaders are banking on Muslim votes to attract other vote banks in the next elections. “If the Muslim support for the party becomes visible, other vote banks will automatically follow,” said a Congress leader.
The BSP, not to be left behind, is also making a bid for Muslim votes. UP chief minister Mayawati has been repeatedly assuring the minorities that her government would protect them at all costs.
Apparently, the chief minister wants to project a minority-friendly image of her government after the Ayodhya verdict and convince the minorities that it is the Bahujan Samaj Party alone that genuinely cares for their welfare.