Cong has won over Muslims in UP: Soz

Buoyed by a perceptible shift in the thinking of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh towards the Congress, the party expects to put up a credible show in the state.

Buoyed by a perceptible shift in the thinking of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh towards the Congress, the party expects to put up a credible show in the state.

HT Image

Fighting to regain its lost glory in the politically-significant state, the Congress had drafted senior leader Saifuddin Soz to build bridges with the Muslims and clear any apprehensions which the community had about the party.

Soz, who toured 34 Lok Sabha constituencies since January last, felt that backed by the local Congress leadership, he was able to draw the Muslims out of isolation with a strong appeal to be part of the national mainstream. "My aim was to convince the community intelligentsia to come out of the groove and aim at a greater share in the power to resolve their problems. And I have succeeded in this mission," Soz told HT.

Soz's convincing was primarily based on the fact that it was the non-Muslims who tirelessly worked to get the community justice in the Gujarat riot cases, which resulted in the Supreme Court responding favourably.

He felt that while there were no takers for the Shahi Imam's dictate to vote for the BJP, the Congress' campaign had the desired effect.