Voices have begun surfacing in the Samajwadi Party for action against party’s Muslim mascot Md Azam Khan for criticising Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s handling of the Muzaffarnagar riots and skipping the Samajwadi Party’s ongoing national executive at Agra.
But party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav seems to have given a long rope to Khan when the State Government has come under criticism from a section of the Muslim community for failing to contain the riots. “Things will get normal. Please do not complicate the issue any more. We are old associates and know each other very well,” Yadav said while addressing newsmen after culmination of the National Executive of the party here on Thursday.
The statement came after senior party leaders, including Mulayam’s cousin and party’s national general secretary Prof Ram Gopal Yadav, had said that a senior leader should not forget his ‘maryada’ and should conduct in public accordingly. He even suggested that if Azam Khan did not want to be member of National Executive body, he should quit the post.
Prof Yadav got support from another national general secretary Naresh Agarwal who also echoed similar sentiments and asked Mulayam to take ‘tough’ action Khan. Another prominent Muslim leader Abu Azmi went further and said: “No one had felt the absence of Azam Khan in the meet.”
Sources claim that many leaders openly questioned Khan’s absence in the National executive meet and even asked “whether he had become super Chief Minister.”
Yadav tried to play down the issue. “Everyone has a right to air his views in the party forum and this should not be taken as attack on any leader,” he said. “Please do not read politics in these statements. Everything is okay. All is well in the party,” he said.
He said that Samajwadi Party is a ‘democratic party’ and every leader has the right to air his views.Mulayam expressed grief and shock over Muzaffarnagar riots and said it was a great education for Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. He should not allow it to recur in the future.
Mulayam announced that he would go to Muzaffarnagar along with Akhilesh Yadav to take stock of the relief measures there. “This is the time to provide relief to the victims. Politics on this issue should not be encouraged,” he said.
When asked about the resentment of the minority community in the wake of Muzaffarnagar riots, the SP chief admitted it concerned him too. Referring to Congress’ demand for resignation of Akhilesh, he said it was a political demand and had no meaning.
Mulayam Singh also rejected any parallel with 2002 Godhra riots in Gujarat and promised “justice” for victims and “strict action” against the guilty.
“There was no justice in Gujarat, but justice will be done in UP...I have never done the politics of caste and religion. Strict action will be taken against the guilty. We will provide the maximum possible assistance to them (the riot victims),” Yadav told reporters at the conclusion of his party’s National Executive meeting here.
He was responding to a question on the remarks of RlD chief Ajit Singh that SP was doing what Modi had done in Gujarat to polarise votes.Yadav also ruled out efforts of forging third front before the lok Sabha polls saying it would create rift over allocation of seats. “The Third Front will take shape after the polls and form its government at the Centre,” he said.
In reply to another query, he said the party would field candidates against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in Rae Bareli and Amethi respectively as the Congress had also done it against him.
With regards to national executive of the party, the SP chief asserted that the meeting discussed and decided not to change any candidate of the lok Sabha already announced. In-charge will be appointed in each parliamentary constituency to keep an eye over the election management, he said.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, present on the occasion, said that the State Government had already given Rs 15 lakh to the next of the kin of journalist Rajesh Verma who was killed in the Muzaffarnagar riot. “If there is demand, more financial help will be given to the family,” he said.