UP election: Don’t vote for SP-Congress alliance, Shia cleric appeals to Muslims

Jawad says other clerics and he are in talks with other political parties and will soon announce whom the Muslims should vote for

Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad has appealed to Muslims not to vote for the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Congress alliance in the UP assembly election.

Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad addressing a press conference in Lucknow on Monday. (HT photo)

Jawad said other clerics and he were in talks with other political parties and will soon announce whom the Muslims should vote for. He appealed to all voters of the state to exercise their franchise during the polls.

Jawad alleged that the Congress always harmed the cause of Muslims and did hardly anything for the community when it was in power at the centre for 50-60 years.

“The Samajwadi Party also cheated us and hardly did anything for Muslims in the last five years in UP. They promised to give (job) reservation to Muslims but did nothing,” he said at a press conference at Sibtainabad Imambada in Hazratganj area here on Monday.

“Since ideologically Akhilesh Yadav is with Rahul Gandhi, there is no doubt in my mind that the alliance will not prove beneficial for the Muslims. Hence, I make an appeal to one and all not to vote for this alliance,” he said.

Maulana said instead of giving reservation, the Samajwadi Party gave land to construct burial ground for Muslims. Many other Shia and Sunni religious leaders were present in the press conference.

“Be it the Muzaffarnagar riots or the Akhlaq episode, Muslims were left homeless. Instead of constructing their houses, the Samajwadi Party spent crores of rupees on the Saifai Mahotsav where women danced. This money could have been used for constructing houses for riot victims,” he said.

He claimed that the Samajwadi Party cheated Muslims and Yadavs.

“I have records to prove that the Samajwadi Party (SP) gave jobs only to Yadavs of Etawah and Mainpuri,” he said.

When asked if the clerics will appeal to Muslims to vote for BJP or BSP, he said, “The ulema are in touch with different political parties. We will announce whom to vote for in a day or two.”

He said after Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav’s joint press conference and road show on Sunday, SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav said in an interview that he was not happy with the alliance. “A father knows his son better,” Jawad said.

Jawad said chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had cheated the people of the state as most of the development projects that he announced were incomplete.

“I have myself seen that nearly 125 km work on the Agra Expressway is incomplete. A lot of work is left in Metro rail project,” he said.

Asked if the educated voters of today will follow his appeal, he laughed and said “only time will tell”.