By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Lucknow: With an eye on Lok Sabha elections, Muslim clerics are once again in the center stage of politics in Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is busy getting them on his side before the elections.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Mulayam Singh Yadav at Nadwa in 2010.
In the past the clerics start with the issues of Muslims, settle for personal interests and rake up Muslim issue when divested of power.
To begin with, Mulayam had a association with Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari of Jama Masjid. In the assembly elections in 2012, Bukhari gave a clarion call for supporting Samajwadi Party. After the elections, SP came into power. Bukhari too harvested the results. His son-in-law Umar Khan who lost assembly elections from Behat in Saharanpur on SP ticket was made MLC. Another relative Waseem Ahmed Khan was appointed as Chairman of UP Pollution Control Board with the rank of state minister. Things did not remain the same and now Bukhari is spitting venom against Mulayam and Akhilesh. He even organised a rally against them in Etawah which is the home district of Mulayam. Now he is on a mission to defeat Mulayam in Lok Sabha elections.
Mulayam who is a clever politician filled the gap after the exit of Bukhari. These days Maulana Mahmood Madani of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind is getting good response from Mulayam. Both Akhilesh and Mulayam had attended his function. Madani holds good clout among Muslims due to his association with Darul Uloom Deoband.
Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan of Bareilly is all set to come along Mulayam. Already Mulayam had given Lok Sabha ticket to MLA Shahzil Islam who is the only MLA from Ittehad-e-Millat Council, the outfit floated by Raza. Talks have been held between Mulayam and Raza and things can be declared any day.
Meanwhile, Akhilesh following the footsteps of his father Mulayam made his maiden visit to Nadwatul Uloom in Lucknow last month. Akhilesh termed it as home coming and assured to visit again.
It is not far away when Mulayam will enter the Lok Sabha polls arena armed with a battery of clerics to woo the Muslims.
