Minority Affairs Azam Khan said in the UP Assembly that the Samajwadi Party had never promised reservation to Muslims in its elections manifesto. Khan also said that BSP leaders should be grateful to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for not initiating action against them as per reports of lokayukta probing corruption in the previous regime.
Azam Khan intervened during the speech of leader of Opposition and BSP leader Gayacharan Dinkar pressing the adjournment notice on law and order. Dinkar charged that most incidents of crime against women took place in areas represented by SP leaders and communal riots had taken places only in those areas where the ruling party and the BJP were influential.
The leader of Opposition said, “The SP government ‘s promise to provide reservation to Muslims and release the innocent Muslim youths jailed in the name of terrorism were never fulfilled. Communal riots in the state have spiked indicating a clear nexus between the BJP and the SP for polarization votes during elections. Besides, illegal mining was rampant in the state esepcially in Bundelkhand.”
Reactingto this, Khan said, “The BSP leaders should be grateful to the CM for not initiating action against them for involvement in corruption in the previous BSP regime. The lokayukta had recommended strict against some of senior BSP leaders but the CM was too generous to pursue the matter.’’
Demanding an apology from the leader of Opposition for his comment on reservation to Muslims, Khan said, “The SP never promised 18 percent reservations in government jobs to Muslims in its election manifesto of 2012.’’
Cautioning the BSP to refrain from exploiting Muslims through false propaganda, the minister said, “Muslims are no longer backward, and they now use Whatsapp. They know what is happening around them and which party is trying to fool them and which is serious towards development.”
Charging the BSP of doing nothing for Muslims except humiliating them, Khan said, “The Muslims, on their smart phones, have seen Mayawati campaigning for Narendra Modi in Gujarat and branding Muslims as extremists. The BSP does not respect any religion. Even Mayawati is not aware of her religious belief.’’
Targeting the BSP for constructing parks and memorials, the minister asked, “The BSP claims to belive that each community be given representation as per its demographic share. But did they name even one memorial after a Muslim icon or name any district whose name was changed after any Muslim. Only one district was named after a Muslim - Akbarpur, but that too was changed to Amebdkar Nagar.’’
Earlier, pressing for the admissibility of his notice, the leader of the Opposition alleged that the crime rate in UP had gone up by 362 per cent and the government had failed to protect the life and properties of the masses. Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey rejected the adjournment notice.
