Samajwadi Party has come out with its own version portraying itself as a messiah of the Muslims; dubs BJP as the ‘most dangerous enemy’.
LUCKNOW: After the war of ballots and bullets, there’s a new element in the UP elections. It’s a CD war of sorts. Even before the dust could settle on the controversy surrounding the BJP’s inflammatory CD targeting Muslims, the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) is now alleged to have released a CD in Muslim-dominated western UP which goes to the polls on Friday.
The latest CD, carrying visuals of Saddam Hussain’s hanging and Gujarat riots, has speeches by SP leaders Amar Singh and Jaya Prada, besides Congress MPs Natwar Singh and Obaidullah Azmi, who are campaigning for the SP. These leaders portray the SP as the messiah of the Muslims while the BJP is painted as their “most dangerous enemy”.
The CD could spark trouble in the region as only on Wednesday, the BJP released posters dubbing the Muslim ‘madarsas’ as havens for terrorists linked to anti-national organisations like the SIMI and Pakistan’s undercover agency ISI. The posters, refer to Muslims and carry the loaded poser: “Kya inke iraade pak hain?” (Are their intentions honourable?)
On Thursday, the Muzzaffarnagar police recovered the Saddam CD from a public meeting addressed by SP MP Haji Akhlaq in Khatauli (Muzzaffarnagar). The police, however, registered a case of breach of peace against unknown persons. The Congress and the BJP have taken the matter to the Election Commission, seeking action against those responsible for production and distribution of the CD.
The CD is seen as a desperate SP attempt to shore up its position in west UP where it is virtually lost in the contest. Of the 58 seats going to polls here on Friday, the SP won only eight in 2002. The main contest is between the BSP (which has 15 seats), the BJP (10) and the RLD (11).
“This CD is an example of the extent to which a so-called secular party can go to, to secure Muslim votes,” BJP vice-president Yashwant Sinha told reporters in Lucknow on Thursday. Asked who could be behind its release, he said: “The CD could only benefit one party,” obviously referring to the SP. He said the party had approached the CEC demanding a CBI inquiry into the matter.
Asked about the BJP’s posters targeting Muslims, Sinha said: “We have said that terrorist activity is going on in some madarsas, and that is a fact. We have attacked anti-national organisations like SIMI and ISI. We’ve not targeted the Muslim community as a whole.”
In his press conference, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal referred to the CD but said as of now he could not hold the SP responsible for it as the CD did not carry any credits. “I have learnt that it was released at a public meeting addressed by an SP MP in Khatauli. But it is an anonymous CD, though we have complained to the EC about it as it could foment communal trouble during the election.”
Referring to the BJP CD episode, Sibal said the EC should debar state BJP chief Kesrinath Tripathi, senior BJP leader Lalji Tandon and other leaders associated with the production of the inflammatory CD from contesting elections. He said the party was not demanding derecognition of the BJP at this stage. “As of now, we want a CBI inquiry into the matter,” he said.
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