2 May 2024: In Bareilly, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, National President of the All India Muslim Jamaat, has accused the Samajwadi Party (SP) of “selling minority votes.” He has urged the community to boycott SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and his party, advocating instead for voting either for the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) or opting for NOTA.
According to Razvi, Akhilesh Yadav has failed to support the Muslim community adequately and has shown disrespect towards their leaders. Notably, even veteran SP leader Azam Khan was allegedly marginalized, with his absence noticeable in the party’s posters. Shahabuddin views this as a clear indication of Akhilesh’s lack of interest in catering to the interests of the minority group.
Tensions between the SP and Shahabuddin escalated when Haider Ali, an SP member associated with Aala Hazrat Dargah, was reportedly excluded from the stage during a poll rally in Bareilly. Ali’s subsequent protest against his own party members further fueled the discord. Shahabuddin deemed the incident as an “insult” and raised concerns regarding the treatment of minority members within the party.
In response, State Vice President of the SP’s minority cell, Anish Ahmed Khan, refuted Shahabuddin’s claims, stating that Azam Khan’s status within the party remains unchanged. He emphasized that Azam Khan, a founding member of the SP, continues to hold prominence, with his photographs displayed in all party offices across the state.
The allegations made by Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi have sparked debate and drawn attention to the dynamics between the SP and the Muslim community in Uttar Pradesh.
