E-Paper
Future of Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha uncertain after SP-SBSP alliance
Prominent constituents of the Morcha maintain distance from Mau rally. AIMIM organises parallel rally in Muzaffaranagar
LUCKNOW The alliance between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) has raised a question mark over the future of the SBSP-led alliance of nine smaller political parties – Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha as the prominent constituents of the Morcha maintained distance from the rally organised by the party in Mau to cobble up a bond with the SP before the 2022 UP assembly election.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) led by Asaduddin Owaisi, an important partner of the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha, organised a parallel rally in Muzaffaranagar, which was in the news in 2013 due to the communal violence.
Before the SP-SBSP rally in Mau on Wednesday morning, the state unit president of AIMIM Shaukat Ali released a video message on various social media platforms to inform the party supporters that AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi would not participate in the Mau rally. “The supporters should attend the rally organized by the party in Muzaffaranagar in strength to make it successful. The party chief had not been invited by the SBSP to participate in the Mau rally,” said Ali.
In Muzaffarnagar, Owaisi launched an attack on the Samajwadi Party reminding people about the 2013 communal violence when the SP was in power. “Muslims were targeted during the riots. They had to flee from home to stay in refugee camps. The BJP government withdrew cases against the accused, but the Muslim community has been left in the lurch. The SP, BSP, Congress and RLD use Muslims only as a vote bank,” he said.
Launching a veiled attack on SBSP-SP alliance, Owaisi said whoever tried to get close with AIMIM or praised him was being wooed by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav for pre-poll alliance. “SP chief knows that AIMIM has made inroads among the Muslims across Uttar Pradesh,” he added.
Not only AIMIM, but other members of Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha including Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar, Jan Adhikar Party president Babu Singh Kushwaha, Rashtriya Uday Party president Babu Rampal, Rashtriya Upekshit Samaj Party chief Premchanda Prajapati and Janata Kranti Party president Anil Singh Chauhan did not attend the rally. SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar said talks with the Morcha allies were continuing to join the larger alliance under the Samajwadi Party.
Meanwhile, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief Shivpal Yadav said he had not joined the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha and urged SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to take a final decision over the pre-poll alliance between the two parties (PSP (L) and SP) soon.
Once the SP chief makes his stand clear, the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) will decide over the assembly election strategy and alliance, he added.
But SBSP says Morcha united
VARANASI Despite the absence of prominent allies of the SBSP-led Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha (BSM) at the mahapanchayat held in Mau on Monday, SBSP leaders said “all is well” and strongly ruled out any split in the Morcha.
SBSP state unit vice president Shashi Pratap Singh said, “All is well in the Morcha. We invited each ally of the Morcha and requested them to attend the mahapanchayat. Everyone is free. Why they didn’t come to the Mahapanchayat, they can say it better. We cannot force anyone. Our mahapanchayat has been a great success because lakhs of people gave us their blessings by attending it.”
