File photo: Mulayam Singh Yadav (L) with his son & UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav
Agra:
In the midst of a crisis over its alleged mishandling of communal violence that has killed 38 people, the Samajwadi Party battled a widening rift within as its top leaders met in Agra to strategise for the national elections, due by May.
An important leader, Azam Khan, who is also the Minority Affairs Minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, is not at the meeting, reportedly in protest against the riots in Muzaffarnagar that seared the western part of the state this weekend. On record, his aides said he is unwell.
The internal rumblings became even more apparent when another party leader, Abu Azmi said: "the impact of our welfare schemes will be neutralized if minorities feel insecure. Our worry is that minorities who felt unsafe under Congress should not feel unsafe under the Samajwadi Party."
Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said on Tuesday that the Uttar Pradesh government headed by his son, Akhilesh, cannot be indicted for the violence which was so deadly that the army was called in to patrol the area and enforce curfew. He also said that describing the violence as riots is incorrect; it was the result of "caste conflict", he stressed.
But sources say that questions are being raised even within the party about why early warning signs of seething tension between Hindus and Muslims in Muzaffarnagar, 125 kilometres north east of Delhi, appear to have been ignored.
Uttar Pradesh, with its population of nearly 20 crores has 80 parliamentary seats, which are crucial in deciding who forms the next government. The Samajwadi Party relies heavily on the support of Muslim voters, but has been condemned by leaders of different minority groups for the Muzaffarnagar riots.
The Samajwadi Party's support props up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's minority government, but yesterday, the Congress was unusually acerbic in its criticism of Mr Yadav's son, with top leaders declaring that he should resign for failing to check the communal riots.
Mulayam Singh said, "In a democracy, everyone has the right to criticize." His party leader Ram Gopal Yadav today slammed the Congress saying it was trying to weaken the SP government as it cannot rise in UP without the Samajwadi's decline.
An important leader, Azam Khan, who is also the Minority Affairs Minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, is not at the meeting, reportedly in protest against the riots in Muzaffarnagar that seared the western part of the state this weekend. On record, his aides said he is unwell.
The internal rumblings became even more apparent when another party leader, Abu Azmi said: "the impact of our welfare schemes will be neutralized if minorities feel insecure. Our worry is that minorities who felt unsafe under Congress should not feel unsafe under the Samajwadi Party."
Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said on Tuesday that the Uttar Pradesh government headed by his son, Akhilesh, cannot be indicted for the violence which was so deadly that the army was called in to patrol the area and enforce curfew. He also said that describing the violence as riots is incorrect; it was the result of "caste conflict", he stressed.
But sources say that questions are being raised even within the party about why early warning signs of seething tension between Hindus and Muslims in Muzaffarnagar, 125 kilometres north east of Delhi, appear to have been ignored.
Uttar Pradesh, with its population of nearly 20 crores has 80 parliamentary seats, which are crucial in deciding who forms the next government. The Samajwadi Party relies heavily on the support of Muslim voters, but has been condemned by leaders of different minority groups for the Muzaffarnagar riots.
The Samajwadi Party's support props up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's minority government, but yesterday, the Congress was unusually acerbic in its criticism of Mr Yadav's son, with top leaders declaring that he should resign for failing to check the communal riots.
Mulayam Singh said, "In a democracy, everyone has the right to criticize." His party leader Ram Gopal Yadav today slammed the Congress saying it was trying to weaken the SP government as it cannot rise in UP without the Samajwadi's decline.
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