By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net,
Lucknow: With an eye on eroding Muslim vote bank Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav will attend the dinner hosted by party MLA from Meerut, Shahid Manzoor in Lucknow on Monday.
Several important Muslim clerics are expected to attend the dinner where Mulayam will convey his position in wake of charges levelled by dissident party leader Amar Singh. The dinner will be held at the official residence of Manzoor in La-Place. “There is no special reason for the event, we just wanted to have an informal get-together with our party leaders and friends from media,” said the host Shahid Manzoor, MLA.
Amar Singh had recently chided Mulayam as being anti Muslim in a function putting the yadav satrap in a tight spot. This dinner will serve as a platform by Muslim MLAs and leaders to show their solidarity with yadav chieftain. “Muslims understand that Mulayam Singh has never let them down, even Muslim leaders in other parties are just ornamental pieces with no voices, Amar Singh’s statement cannot affect the association of Muslims who are solidly behind Mulayam,” said Manzoor. He castigated several Muslim leaders in Congress for undermining the interests of Muslims. “It is evident and anyone can tell you about the status of Muslims. There is no need for a Sachar Committee report and then play politics over it,” he said.
Manzoor stated that the dinner will be attended by SP MLAs and leaders and host of Muslim clerics. “We have extended invitation to several maulanas but cannot divulge their names. They will be welcomed with open arms during the function,” he said. However, the dinner will have no place for estranged SP leader Azam Khan who has not been invited. “He is not in our party and we have not invited him,” he added.
The party has launched ‘dinner diplomacy’ after the exit of dissident party leader Amar Singh. Earlier a dinner hosted by thakur MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh aka Raja Bhaiyya at his residence was attended by Mulayam on February 5 in Lucknow. The attendance at that dinner assumed significance as it ended the speculation with several thakur MLAs considered close to Amar Singh attending it and expressing their solidarity with SP supremo Mulayam.